Forest department officials recently seized a consignment of rare fishes worth millions of
dollars in the international market from the Mohanbari Airport in upper Assam’s Dibrugarh
district, north eastern India. The Dibrugarh Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) BV Sandeep informed
that two persons—Jiten Sarkar and Sridam Sarkar—were apprehended and on interrogation
they revealed that the consignment of over 500 Channa barca fish was bound for Kolkata.
This has been the largest consignment of ornamental fish seized in recent months valued at Rs 4.6
crore in Indian currency. The accused Jiten Sarkar and Sridam Sarkar hail from Guijan in the
nearby Tinsukia district. Sridam and his brother Jadu Sarkar has been named in yet another case
when 67 Channa Stewarti, or the Assamese snake head locally known as chengeli, were
recovered from his house at No.5 Guijan by police in August. The fishes are reported to have
been collected from wetlands inside the Dibru-Saikhowa National Park and from rivers–Dibru,
Dibang and the Brahmaputra.
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Jiten Sarkar or Jadu Sarkar are suppliers and part of the vast value chain of the ornamental fish
industry that is comprised of suppliers/breeders/middlemen/exporters/distributors/retailers
and pet owners. The growth of the market that has become more diverse in recent years has
only left leading importers asking for more.
News reports from last January showed a number of the rare snakehead fish-Channa barca
being sold at a local market in Jonai, in Dhemaji district. Local people brought the incident to
the notice of the district administration and demanded strong measures to curb the illegal
collection of rare endemic ornamental fishes from wetlands in the Poba reserved forest—a rich
rainforest stretch in the confluence of the rivers Siang, Dibang and Lohit.
The peak availability of Channa barca is observed during December-January when water levels
in rivers, wetlands or low lying areas are considerably reduced. With reduced water levels,
people hunting for the rare fish would plug the mouth of the hole — a vertical tunnel the fish
inhabits during the dry season– tightly with straw. These obligatory air breathers when coming
out to the surface to breathe would find its teeth stuck in the straw. People then easily get hold
of the catch.
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Locally known by names like cheng goroka, gotowa or chenga–the Channa barca–the spotted
greenish golden snakehead fish has been the most sought after species from upper Assam in
the ornamental fish market. “Demand is high if the fish is considered rare. The Channa barca
has become more and more expensive and fetches as high as Rs 75,000 to Rs 80,000 per fish in
the Indian market. There has always been demand for this fish from the agents in Kolkata,” said
a businessman who deals in ornamental fish trade on conditions of anonymity.
Native to the Upper Brahmaputra river basin in northeastern India and Bangladesh Channa
barca has been listed in Schedule 2 of India’s Wildlife (Protection0 Act, 1972. The International
Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) listed the fish as critically endangered in Bangladesh.
Endemic fishes on the edge.
Several fish species have disappeared over the years or their production decreased
considerably due to habitat loss or habitat alteration as a result of siltation, encroachment,
organic load interferences, weed infestation and other anthropogenic activities. The
introduction of alien species spelt doom to many indigenous fish. Indiscriminate fishing has also
taken a toll on endemic fish varieties. Under the existent Fishery Rules, leasing policies of water
bodies without considering the conservation and protection aspects have a negative impact on
fish stocks.
Researchers in Assam raised the alarm of a drastic decline in cold water fishes like mahseers,
snow trouts and minor carps. Researchers from the state’s fishery department also found key
changes in biological functions of fish stocks as an impact of climate change. Once abundant in
their natural home — hilly streams, rivulets, lakes, beels, swamps, low lying uncultivable areas,
water holes in paddy fields of flood prone areas — many native speciesfrom Assam like
Chelekona (Oxygaster gora), Eleng (Bengala elanga), Basa (Pangasius pangasius) are on the
brink or quietly disappearing from their natural habitat. Botia (Acanthocobitis botia), Misamas
(Macrobrachium rosenbergii), Lachim (Cirrhinus Reba), Kokila (Xenontodon Concila), Pabho
(Ompok pabda), Lau puthi (Chela laubuca) Patimutura (Glossogobius giuris) are other species
declining gradually.
“The need of the hour is to bring into focus and create awareness on fish protection by
restricting all types of fishing during the swapping seasons,” said Dr Padmeshwar Gogoi, a
reputed environmentalist from Assam. Dr Gogoi went on to say that scientific data on fresh
water fishes of the region have been very limited. “We also need a revised list of the
endangered and threatened fishes of India. This in turn will give a picture of the declining fish
fauna of the country and we can have a complete picture of what we have and what we lost
here in north eastern India.
“There has been substantial scientific knowledge generated on terrestrial ecosystems so we have now policy and legislation to ensure conservation. However, when it comes to aquatic ecosystem study—there is still a huge gap. There is still a lack of scientific data on fresh water fishes of the region,” Dr Gogoi said.
A rapidly growing sector
Aquarium fishes have been termed as “live jewels” and keeping an aquarium with colourful fishes continues to be a popular hobby around the globe. When it comes to ornamental fish—the USA is the largest importer followed by the European Union. Market analysis has valued the global ornamental fish market at USD5.88 billion in 2022 and poised to grow to
11.68 billion by 2030.
“The value of the ornamental fish export has been on the rise since the 1980s that has led the
Indian government to identify the ornamental fish sector as one of the thrust areas for
development and increase exports” said a source at the Marine Products Export Development
Authority (MPEDA). Originally an export promotion body, MPEDA, realizing the vast potential
from India’s north eastern region opened its office in Guwahati to promote the export of
ornamental fishes from the region.
According to MPEDA sources nearly 200 varieties of ornamental fishes are exported from India
out of which 85 per cent are from the north eastern region.
North eastern states with diverse fresh water resource harbour diversified native ornamental
fish species. The Botia Dario, Danio dangila, Puntius shalynius and Schistura reticulofasciatus
are classified ornamental fish that can be reared in aquarium throughout their life span.
Neolissocheilus hexagonolepis, Labeo gonius, Channa marulius and Rita rita are also treated as
ornamental fish in their juvenile stage and fall under non-classified ornamental fish.
“A large number of educated youths were attracted to the trade with profit margins on the rise.
The market is expanding and the response we receive has been quite satisfactory,” said a
Guwahati-based breeder of ornamental fish who didn’t want to be named.
“Keeping an Aquarium with fishes of vibrant colour is the best way to relieve stress and help
the mind unwind. Apart from the aesthetic pleasure and therapeutic effect like stress relief,
aquariums have almost become a must with interior decorators citing Vastu and Feng Shui and
leading to an ever increasing demand for ornamental fish,” said the source at MPEDA.
However, in doing so we may be unknowingly contributing to the decline of some of the world’s
most beautiful fishes!
Decline in native fishes due to pet fish market?
Tropical freshwater fish dominated the global market. They are the first preference for new pet
owners owing to their ease of care as well as the range of colours they come in, according to
global ornamental fish market analysis.
It has been the wild varieties collected from rivers of north eastern and southern states.
Loaches, snake heads (violet, cobra, rainbow), cat fish varieties, chanda varieties, dwarf and
giant gaurami, golden dwarf barb, stripped minnow etc are mostly in demand from the north
eastern region.
Without regulation, the trade in endemic ornamental fishes soon brought many endemic fish to
the brink. Farm-raised fish must be tagged and the sale should be monitored so as to ensure
wild stocks of the same species are not marketed–but there seems to be no rule in the trade!
Out of the 250 native ornamental fish species of the region, Assam records 187 species
followed by Arunachal Pradesh with 165, Meghalaya 159, Manipur 139, Tripura 103, Nagaland
with 71, Mizoram 46 and Sikkim 29. Of the recorded 250 species, 10 are Critically Endangered,
28 Endangered and 49 are found to be Vulnerable.
“An improved information system is crucial for fishes caught from the wild and marketed,” feels
Nitul Sibnath, office bearer of the Assam based NGO Aranya Suraksha Samity. “While banning
indiscriminate catch of brood and juveniles is important, captive breeding could be the option
for certain fish species the stock of which have been found to have declined to help in
conservation, he said.