Himachal Pradesh Bags SKOCH Gold for Saving Rare Golden Mahseer

The Fisheries Department of Himachal Pradesh was awarded the prestigious SKOCH Gold Award-2025 for its innovative captive breeding program aimed at conserving the critically endangered Golden Mahseer, a iconic freshwater fish symbolizing the state's rich aquatic biodiversity. The accolade, presented on September 20 at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi, recognizes the department's exemplary governance and pioneering conservation strategies.

Vivek Chandel, Director-cum-Warden of Fisheries, and Som Nath, Assistant Director (Fisheries), received the award on behalf of the department. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu congratulated the team, describing the honor as a testament to the state government's unwavering commitment to biodiversity preservation. "The SKOCH Gold Award validates the effectiveness of our integrated conservation strategy," Sukhu stated, emphasizing the SKOCH Group's reputation for spotlighting impactful public initiatives.

The Golden Mahseer, designated as the state fish of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir, has faced severe population decline over decades due to habitat degradation from hydropower projects, overfishing, and pollution. To counter this crisis, the Fisheries Department initiated a scientifically backed captive breeding program. The Machhyal Mahseer Farm, established in 2016, initially struggled with limited output, producing no more than 5,000 fingerlings annually.

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A turning point came in 2023 with a collaborative campaign alongside the ICAR-National Institute of Abiotic Stress Management's Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute (CIFRI) in Bhimtal, Uttarakhand—the country's sole cold-water fisheries research center. This partnership facilitated specialized training on breeding techniques, nutritional management, and disease prevention.

The efforts yielded remarkable results: in the 2024-25 financial year, the Machhyal farm produced 87,000 Golden Mahseer fingerlings. A subsequent stocking drive released 34,500 of these into natural waters, including 20,000 in Pong Reservoir and 14,500 in Gobind Sagar Reservoir, bolstering wild populations and ecosystem health.

This award not only highlights Himachal's proactive environmental stewardship but also sets a benchmark for sustainable fisheries management, ensuring the survival of a species integral to the region's ecological and cultural heritage.

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