Imphal: Once believed to be extinct from the soil of Manipur or near extinct, the indigenous Meitei Sareng fish (Wallago attu), also known as catfish or freshwater shark will now be conserved through a specific project, the Manipur Government said.
The Department of Fisheries, Government of Manipur is trying to conserve these species in the three-pronged strategies broodstock management, artificial breeding of threatened species for restocking in their natural habitat, and establishing gene banks using cryopreservation techniques.
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The Meitei Sareng is a native freshwater fish in Manipur.
Known for its elongated body, whisker-like barbels, predatory behaviour, and size the Sareng fish typically live in rivers, lakes, and reservoirs with sandy or muddy bottoms.
In the past, they were commonly found in the Imphal, Kongba, Iril, and Thoubal rivers in Manipur.
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The researchers believe that the construction of the Ithai Barrage blocked the Sareng fish’s migration from the sea through the Manipur and Chindwin rivers, which nearly drove the indigenous Meitei Sareng population to extinction.
At present the people in the state eat Sareng fish brought into the state from Assam and Bengal in ice packs.
Manipur consumes around 52,000 metric tonnes of fish a year and produces 32,000 metric tonnes.
To bridge the supply-demand gap, Manipur depends on fish brought in from other states of India.
Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh in his X post said, “Delighted to share that the ‘Sareng Project’ has achieved another grand success with Laimujam Dinamani Singh of Tentha Khunou, Thoubal District & the Department of Fisheries Govt of Manipur delivering positive results in the induced breeding of Sareng (Wallago attu).”
“The state government has been working towards the revival of the indigenous Meitei Sareng under the ‘Sareng Project’ and has recently achieved breakthroughs in the induced breeding of the species. This is indeed another milestone, and I congratulate everyone involved in the project.”
It is worth noting that Chief Minister N. Biren Singh announced the revival of Sareng, an extinct fish species that abundantly thrived in the freshwater bodies of Manipur and was most relished by the local populace due to its extraordinary taste and health benefits during the celebration of State Level National Fish Farmers Day on 10th July 2021.
Subsequently, the Department of Fisheries, Manipur took up the initiative of the Manipur Chief Minister as a Pilot Project under the banner Sareng Project and started popularizing the fish through pond culture practices.