Blue-finned Mahseer moved out of IUCN red list

According to TATA Power, Blue-finned Mahseer has moved to “least concern” status which was listed in red list of endangered species of International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) earlier.

Highlights

• TATA group is involved in conservation of blue-finned and golden mahseer for 50 years in Lonavala.
• Golden mahseer is still in danger of going extinct.
• About five lakh mahseer are bred at Walvan Hatchery in Lonavala, where group has created an artificial lake for their conservation.

About Mahseer

Mahseer is the common name for generaTor. These fishes are found across Vietnam in north and China in south, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, southern Asia, Indian Peninsula, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. They are commercially important game fish and highly esteemed food fish. They have a high market price and are potential candidate species for aquaculture.

Concerns

Several larger species of Mahseer have suffered severe declines which are now considered threatened because of pollution, overfishing and habitat loss. Concerns are increasing regarding impacts of unregulated release of artificially bred stock of limited number of species.

Characteristics

They inhabit both rivers and lakes. Most of species ascend into rapid streams with rocky bottoms for breeding. They are omnivorous. They eat algae, crustaceans, frogs, insects and other fish. They also eat fruits that fall from trees overhead.

Month: Current Affairs - June, 2021