Bilaspur, October 31: To enhance, conserve, and promote fish wealth in Himachal Pradesh’s renowned Gobind Sagar Reservoir, the Fisheries Department has stocked over 14.79 lakh high-quality fish seeds of various species procured from West Bengal and departmental fish farms.

Under this initiative, the first batch of 2,05,866 Catla and Silver fish seeds was released on October 17 at Luhnu in Bilaspur district. This was followed by the stocking of 3,38,505 Silver Carp on October 23 at Raipur Maidan in Una district, 3,83,472 Catla on October 27 at Bhakra, and 2,66,000 Rohu and Mrigal fish seeds on October 28 at Zakatkhana station, sourced from the Departmental Carp Fish Farm in Alsu, Mandi district. Additionally 2,85,298 Silver Carp fish seeds procured from West Bengal at approved department rates were stocked at Luhnu on October 30.

The fish seeds procured from West Bengal measure 100 mm and above in size, while the Rohu and Mrigal seeds were reared directly at the departmental farm in Alsu, Mandi. Releasing high-quality and larger fish seeds significantly improves their survival rate, which directly helps increase total fish yield across the reservoir.

The entire stocking drive was conducted under the supervision of a departmental committee chaired by Pawan Kumar, Joint Director of Fisheries, Himachal Pradesh. Committee members present as observers included Pankaj Thakur, Assistant Director of Fisheries, Bilaspur Division; Neetu Singh, Assistant Director of Fisheries, Mandi Division; and Poonam Dhiman, Assistant Director of Fisheries, Solan Division, alongside local fisheries officials, representatives of cooperative societies, and local fishermen.

Pankaj Thakur, Assistant Director of Fisheries, Bilaspur Division, stated that 46 fisheries cooperative societies actively operate in the Gobind Sagar Reservoir, supporting 2,561 fishermen who rely on daily fishing activities for their livelihood. He highlighted that the State Government provided relief assistance of Rs.3,500 per fisherman family during the restricted fishing period this year, while the Central Government proposes to provide an additional Rs. 3,000 per eligible fisherman family under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana. He added that the department regularly procures and stocks seeds using scientific methods to boost production, strengthen the local fishing community's income, and maintain sustainable fisheries management, confirming that the stocking process will continue until the planned requirements are met.