Dr. Praveen Tamot Professor & Head of Department, Zoology Govt. M.L.B. Post Graduate College, Bhopal.

Conservation of the Threatened Fish Mahseer (Tor-tor) and Their Development for Sport Fishery in the River and Reservoir of Madhya Pradesh (India):                                 

 Mahseer (Tor-tor Hamilton) is acclaimed as a world famous outstanding game and food fish of India. As a sport fish, it provides unparallel recreation to the anglers from all over the world. It is known as "Tiger of Waters". Mahseer is toughest fighter amongst fresh water sport fish. The undisputed king of Indian rivers large powerful and it is the largest member of the carp family in the world. Their habitat has high current and fast flowing so this fish is an ultimate swimmer. In commercial fisheries it occupies an important position as a food fish for its good quality, large size. In India mainly six species of Tor are found, despite of their abundance at one time, the Mahseer (Tor-tor) population has been declined due to multiple anthropogenic factors in number and size in natural water bodies. Now Mahseer is an endangered fish. Present study deals with the conservation and management of endangered sport fish Tor-tor for the development of sport and culture fishery in lentic and lotic eco-system of Madhya Pradesh. State of Madhya Pradesh is rich in aquatic resources. State has 3.0 lac hac. of water area in form of reservoir and ponds and also have a 17088 km network of five major river system. These resources offer a vast opportunity to conserve the fish diversity and to develop the culture and sport fishery and also generate the employment to the local people. River Narmada (lotic ecosystem) is the only river, which flows to the West. A number of untouched natural treasures are assimilated in this river. Among them one is Tor-tor commonly known as Narmada Mahseer. This is internationally well known sport fish. Four decades back the most prominent group in the river had been that of carps contributing 58-62% and again this includes the highest catch of Tor-tor (25-30%).But due to over fishing, construction of dam, industrialization, destruction of spawning grounds, pollution from point and non point sources, soil erosion, catchment mismanagement, other anthropogenic activities etc., population of Tor-tor has drastically reduced and now it is an endangered. Under the study, important breeding grounds were identified for collection of natural seed and reared up to 80-100 mm size in nursery  then released in different river and reservoir for better survival and growth.  Some other parameters including limnology of river Narmada and food and feeding habits of juveniles and adult Mahseer were also studied. Study was also carreid out in the Kerwa reservoir (lentic) which is about 12 km from the capital city of Madhya Pradesh i.e. Bhopal. This is an irrigation reservoir having the catchment area of 64.5 Sq.km. In this reservoir seed of Mahseer (Tor-tor) was also stocked for development of sport fishery and eco-tourism. This is a protected reservoir and commercial fishing is prohibited. For protection of natural fish habitats, 37 fish sanctuaries have been declared in different riverine areas in Madhya Pradesh. Few of them are based on Narmada River and its tributaries. The aim of formation of sanctuaries is to permit fish breed and propagate for counter balancing the loss occurred due to unwanted anthropogenic activities causing threat to its life. As a major initiative towards conservation of the endangered fish species, these should not mere be declared ‘Fish Sanctuary’ but furthermore fishing in the restricted area should be strictly banned and offenders may be prosecuted under law. Strengthening of legal framework would positively improve condition of Mahseer in the state. This will also support sport fishery and generating awareness among common public for conservation and development of Mahseer fish.                                                                                                         

KEY WORDS: Sport fishery, Tor-tor, Mahseer, Fish Sanctuary, Semi Captive Breeding,