All types of fishing activities, including angling, will remain banned during the breeding season from June 16 to August 15 in the Gobind Sagar reservoir of Bhakra dam and other general water bodies in Una district. In a press release issued by the Fisheries Department, the ban is imposed every year during the fish breeding season, under the provisions of the Himachal Pradesh Fisheries Act of 1976, and Himachal Pradesh Fisheries Rules of 2020.
According to the press release, the ban on fishing ensured sustainability of rearing fish throughout the season as the livelihood of about 6,000 fishermen, living near major water bodies in the state, besides the network of fish suppliers and sellers depends on the availability of fish. The ban also ensures that the ecosystem of water bodies were disturbed and all fish species get a chance to grow and propagate in numbers.
The press release said the department has deployed a number of teams and flying squads near wetlands to ensure that the ban is adhered to strictly. Any person flouting the ban is liable to be prosecuted and law provides imprisonment up to six months, besides imposing a fine amounting from Rs 300 to Rs 1,000 on the offenders.