One of the world's most iconic fresh-water fish found only in the country's Cauvery Basin is on the "brink of extinction" due to pollution, sand extraction and hydel power projects, a study has claimed.
The paper published by Adrian Pinder of Bournemouth University in the UK and Rajeev Raghavan of St Albert's College in Kerala said that the fish known as 'humpback Mahseer' is now believed to be so endangered that it may be "extinct" in the wild within a generation.
The fish known to anglers around the globe as "one of the largest and hardest fighting freshwater fish in the world," the paper said.
"With its (fish) distribution having always been limited to South India's River Cauvery basin, this fish is now believed to be so endangered it may be extinct in the wild within a generation," a statement by Raghavan said.
Both the scientists have been studying the ecology, taxonomy and conservation status of 17 species of Mahseer which populate rivers throughout south and southeast Asia since 2010. Four of these species are already listed as 'Endangered' on the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List.
"The paper acknowledges that many pressures are placed upon the fish of India's rivers, including pollution, poaching (using dynamite and poisons), sand and gravel extraction.
"...Low river flows due to abstraction and India's continuing thirst for electricity, which has resulted in dozens of hydro-electric which restrict the ability of fish to migrate to their spawning grounds," the statement said.
Against this backdrop of threats, the research suggests that the introduction of non-native Mahseer has acted as the catalyst which has had a "catastrophic" effect on the numbers of endemic Mahseer remaining in the River Cauvery and its tributaries, it said.
