Blue finned Mahseer
Recently, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has shifted the ‘Blue finned Mahseer’ fish from the ‘Endangered’ category of its Red List to the ‘Least Concern’ category.
Key Points
- Mahseer fish belonging to the Tor class or genus are found in many areas of South Asian countries including India. The blue-finned mahseer or Tor Khudree is one of the many subspecies of the mahseer.
- It is mainly found in the Mota Mola river east of Pune. It is a migratory species. Apart from this, this species is also found in other rivers flowing in the Deccan plateau.
- It is found in areas of clean, fast flowing and well-oxygenated waters. For this reason, it moves towards the surface of the rivers during the rainy season.
- The main reason for their extinction is the destruction of habitat, excessive harvesting/harvesting and the threat of competition from other fish species, etc.
- It serves as an indicator of fresh water ecosystem. Because it is highly sensitive to the level of dissolved oxygen in water, temperature and unstable climate change. Its life or habitat is not suited for polluted areas.
Conservation Initiatives:
A private company, ‘Tata Power’ in Lonavala, Maharashtra has been working for the conservation of ‘Blue-finned Mahaseer’ for over 50 years.
Source – The Hindu
