An initiative of river ranching was launched in Namchucha River near Namsang village in Arunachal Pradesh to replenish the river’s aquatic life. This was launched recently by the fisheries department in conjunction with the Tirap district administration. River Ranching is a form of aquaculture in which a population of a fish species is held in captivity for the first stage of their lives. They are then released and later harvested as adults when they return from the sea to their freshwater birthplace to spawn. The aim behind this is sustainable use and conservation of fishery resources in an economical and environmentally responsible manner.
Electrocution of fish
Namchucha River and other rivers in Tirap district are bereft of much marine life today due to use of electrocution to catch fish. This involves using an electric field in water to incapacitate fish, thus rendering them easier to catch. When a fish is electrocuted, it becomes rigid with slight body tremors, then gradually relaxes and shows no further movement. In practice, fish are killed by electrocution using equipment which exposes the fish to an electric field that causes an immediate stun and then, through extended exposure, results in permanent and fatal brain damage.
Initial objective of electrofishing
The initial use of electrofishing was for the scientific study of fish where the fish is just stunned without killing it or causing any long-term damage. However, local fishermen use a crude version of this method – using diesel-run generators or batteries, or worse, illegal use of overhead electric lines of the power grid – to kill fish in lakes and streams in many regions of India. After the fish is electrocuted, the dead bodies float to the surface and are caught easily.
Unsustainable and a risk of human injury
Fishing communities use electrofishing as it can yield much higher capture rates than traditional methods. Apart from leading to an unsustainable death of fishes which affects the overall aquatic system, electrofishing also has a high risk of human injury and death. Local fishermen use very little safety gear, and several accidental fatalities have occurred due to this practice.
Speaking to a local daily, Dr SP Biswas, a fish biologist and former professor of Dibrugarh University, said that electrofishing is ecologically highly detrimental, illegal and can even result in accidental death due to electrification.