14,000 trout fish found dead in Kupwara farm

Over 14,000 trout fish were found dead on Friday due to water poisoning in a fish farm in north Kashmir's Kupwara district.

Reports said 14,000 trout fish were found dead in the Katlery fish farm in Langate area of Kupwara district.

Authorities in the state fisheries department said the apparent cause of the death seems to be the poisoning of Mawar stream waters that feed the fish farm.

"Police have registered an FIR in the incident and water samples have been taken for laboratory examination to determine the chemical that could have caused the death of the fishes on such a large scale," officials of the fisheries department said.

Locals say some naturally growing fish species in Mawar stream other than trout have also been killed because of the poisoning of stream waters.

Authorities have asked villagers using the stream water not to use it till results of the samples are received from the laboratory.

It is important to mention that many fish poachers in the Valley have used bleaching powder in the past to kill fish because bleaching powder used in large amounts depletes the water of its oxygen content thereby killing water flora and fauna by asphyxiation.

Trout is an exotic fish variety which was introduced in the mountain streams of the Valley by the British during the reign of Dogra Maharaja Pratap Singh in the late 18th and early 19th century.

The British readily agreed to help the then Maharaja of the state because their homesick officials, who had to remain away for long periods, were able to address nostalgia by growing trout fish in Kashmir streams for angling like they did in England.

One of the major tourist attractions in Kashmir is angling thanks to the British efforts to bring the species here and grow them in the congenial eco-systems of local mountain streams.

--IANS

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