Bilaspur (HP), Aug 15 (PTI) The Himachal Pradesh fisheries department detected 610 cases of illegal fishing this year, collecting Rs 5.59 lakh in fines, officials said Friday.
Every year, from June 16 to
August 15, fishing is completely prohibited in common waters as this period is the natural breeding season for many fish species.
During the fishing ban this year, the government detected 168 more cases of illegal fishing and collected Rs 2.66 lakh in penalties, said Director of Fisheries, Vivek Chandel.
“More than 12,000 fishermen in the state earn their livelihood from reservoirs and common water bodies. At present, over 5,900 fishermen operate in the five major reservoirs — Gobindsagar, Pong, Chamera, Kol Dam and Ranjit Sagar — which together cover an area of around 43,785 hectares.
“In addition, over 6,000 fishermen are active in the state’s common waters, which stretch approximately 2,400 km. Ensuring the sustainable availability of fish resources and supply of protein-rich aquatic food to people is one of the key responsibilities of the fisheries department,” he said.
The department deployed special measures to protect fish — 19 camps and one flying squad at Gobindsagar, three camps at Kol Dam, 17 camps and one flying squad at Pong Dam, and three camps with one flying squad in Chamba. Surveillance was carried out by boat, road and on foot. PTI COR SKY SKY
