The stunning Kashmir valley in the northwestern folds of the Himalayas bounded on the south-west by Pir Panjal range and on the northeast by the Great Himalayan range continues to evoke sentiments even today in the hearts of many travelers. There is a Farsi Couplet which sums up its beauty in a very graceful way:-
“Agar firdous bar roo-e zameen ast
Hameen ast-o hameen ast-o hameen ast”
English translation
If there is paradise on earth
It is this, it is this, it is this
Kashmir valley is blessed with multitudinal resources within the bounds of which, an outstanding charisma of the cold torrential streams, natural springs & other water bodies draw breath. The virgin streams of Kashmir valley have a very huge potential of recharging the economic battery of state. Trouts are grown in cold waters & Kashmir valley is classical for the same. Although there are many genera of cultivable trout but the most commercialized trout in Kashmir valley is rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). The trout production (biomass) in year 2022-23 as per the official figures of J&K Fisheries Department is 1990 tones and in the year 2020-2021 the trout production was just 650 tones. The data shows that the production has almost tripled in the last three years and the spectrum of trout production in Kashmir valley has very apparent & encouraging results. The feed conversion ratio of the rainbow trout is very low and fetches 500 INR/Kg in the local markets, which collectively turns out to be the rationale of its farming. Although Kashmir is harnessing a good measure of trout but the quantum of actual potential is beyond the degree of our thought. The age old methods of propagation should be reassessed & new technologies must be embraced. The method of stocking Kashmir streams is usually ranching, a technique of raising juvenile fish in captivity and releasing them into the wild but considering the immaculate natural environment of Kashmir streams other possible commanding methods like Vibert System must be tried & tested in the virgin streams of Kashmir valley.
“There are multiple methods which could potentially revolutionalize the fisheries sector and thereby the blue economy of our valley. But it is down on our luck that Jammu & Kashmir is still following an obsolete criteria in recruiting the fisheries officers for gazetted & non-gazetted jobs. Long ago in 2005, the establishment of Fisheries College in the Ganderbal district of Jammu & Kashmir had a new hope for the times to come but as time went by, the professional purpose desiccated by amalgamation of non professionals in the eligibility structure for different designations in fisheries department .”
In Vibert System eggs are kept in a cage called vibert box designed by Vibert. It holds about 1000 trout eggs. The box is immersed in river bed where there is swift water current & clear water. A placement of vibert box needs technical expertise so that alevin could easily escape into the river. There are multiple methods which could potentially revolutionalize the fisheries sector and thereby the blue economy of our valley. But it is down on our luck that Jammu & Kashmir is still following an obsolete criteria in recruiting the fisheries officers for gazetted & non-gazetted jobs. Long ago in 2005, the establishment of Fisheries College in the Ganderbal district of Jammu & Kashmir had a new hope for the times to come but as time went by, the professional purpose desiccated by amalgamation of non professionals in the eligibility structure for different designations in fisheries department . On genuine grounds, if Kashmir really has a longing to hear the trumpet of its waters, the professional degree holders of fisheries science must be given an appropriate place to promulgate the real image of the fisheries in Kashmir valley. None other.
(The author is a freelancer .The views, opinions and conclusions expressed in this article are those of the author and aren’t necessarily in accord with the views of “Kashmir Horizon”)
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