SIVASAGAR: At a time when indiscriminate fishing has caused rapid depletion of the local varieties in the region, a section of unscrupulous traders are thriving in Sivasagar sub-division and other parts of Sivasagar district.

Fish production in the district has depleted to such an extent that the people have not been able to meet the minimum requirement, not to speak of export. The district has to procure huge quantities of fish from outside to meet the local demand. The reason behind the large-scale depletion is not hard to fathom.

All are aware of the tragic loss of biodiversity that this planet is current going through in various ecosystems.

The Biodiversity Management Committees of the coastal local bodies will be actively involved in the campaign. Information on declining marine biodiversity, threats faced by the marine ecosystem, sustainable livelihood and conservation measures will be highlighted, he said.

The Kerala campaign will be led by the district coordinators of the board in association with experts in conservation, ecology and environment. The programme is funded by the National Biodiversity Authority.

From being a much sought-after delicacy found in abundance in the Godavari and Krishna rivers, to figuring in the global IUCN Red List of threatened species, the fringed-lipped carp (Labeo fimbriatus) has been hunted almost to extinction, thanks to unscientific overharvesting.

A serious effort is hence being made by the Andhra Pradesh Biodiversity Board to revive the once-popular fish species by introducing fingerlings this monsoon, to start with, in the Godavari river system in Adilabad district.

Demand for freshwater fish caught at Mayanur increases

The blanket ban on deep sea fishing along in the State, to facilitate breeding, has jacked up inland and sea-fish prices in the district where people relish sea food delicacies. Karur being an industrial town has people from regions including the northern states. Not just during weekends but also during the week demand for meat and seafood is high.

Meghalaya today launched the State Aquaculture Mission with great fanfare to develop fishery as an alternate industry, amidst growing concern about rivers in the State turning acidic due to years o

Itanagar: Researchers have discovered a new species of fish in Kalpangi River in Yazali under Lower Subansiri district of Arunachal Pradesh.

The new species, Garra Kalpangi, was named after the river from where it was discovered, officials said today. The team included K Nebeshwar from Manipur University, Kenjum Bagra Research Officer at Arunachal Pradesh Biodiversity Board and D N Das of Rajiv Gandhi University. The discovery of the new species was mentioned in an article published in the February, 2012 edition of the Journal of Threatened Taxa, a wildlife and conservation journal.

Illegal fishing practices are posing serious threat to fish resources and aquatic biodiversity.

It would be implemented in all panchayats in State

In a bid to nurture environmental consciousness among the younger generation, the Kerala State Biodiversity Board (KSSB) has made a proposal to the State government to make the contents of the People's Biodiversity Registers as part of their education.

Three U.S.