It is said that the four to six inch fingerlings of Rohu (Labeo rohita), Mohri (Mrigal), Thaila (Catla catla) and Grass Carp were released in the main pocket of the reservoir, which is spread over 27,000 hectares. The work has been done by the fishing contractor under an agreement with the PaK wildlife and fisheries department during the breeding season.
Many government officials have attended the special ceremony of releasing the species in the reservoir. The representatives of Anglers Association said that they appreciated the stocking, expressing the hope that it would help increase the growth of fish in the reservoir. According to them their association would act as a watchdog to promote the cause of the fisheries department for the conservation of fish and also increase in its growth.
Wildlife and fisheries department’s director Sardar Javaid Ayub told that unlike natural rivers the reservoirs mostly lack the type of spawning habitat that allows a particular fish species to reproduce. He also said that the changes in the water levels of reservoirs also affects the spawning habitat and in such cases stocking becomes essential for sustenance of fishery in the long-term.
Ayub informed that the current annual catch from the Mangla dam was around 900 tonnes and it could be increased up to 1100 tonnes if steps were taken on scientific basis to increase the growth of fish. According to him the department was considering to introduce ‘cage culture’ among the communities living beside Mangla reservoir with the help of the federal government’s Fisheries Development Board.
