Record fish output in Himachal’s Gobind Sagar

Shimla :The production of fish has more than doubled in the last three years in Himachal Pradesh’s Gobind Sagar lake in Bilaspur town , a top official said Monday.

“Barely three years ago the fish output in this lake was 620 tonnes. It has now gone up to 1400 tonnes and is worth Rs 8 crore,” Tarun Shridhar , principal secretary fishing department said .

“Around 2500 fisherman attached to 30 fishermen societies fish at the Gobind Sagar,” he said .

Shridhar said the rise in production is not only due to the efforts of the fisheries department but also the meticulous and intensive fishing efforts of the fishermen.

“Over 17 million legal- sized, quality fingerlings of commercially important genetic carps were stocked in the water body,” he said .

Collaterally, strict conservation and patrolling was also carried out throughout the year .
Also quality gill nets of fine twine were provided to selected fishermen under the subsidy- oriented programme.

The regular fishermen training programmes were also re-oriented and made need- specific.

Among large reservoirs Gobind Sagar continues to have the highest per capita production of fish in the country in the last three decades , claim officials .

“At 131 kg per hectare it is 12 times more than the national average of 11.4 kg,” Shridhar said .

The Gobind Sagar is a reservoir of the mammoth Bhakra Nangal hydro electric project and is built on the Sutlej river .