Alappuzha: The fish wealth in Vembanad lake is going down, according to a study. It found only 98 species while a counted held in January had identified 115 fish varieties. The three-day count was conducted by the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) in association with Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS) and State Wetland Authority.
While 50 types of fish were found in the northern part of Thanneemukkom bund, 48 types were seen in the southern part.
T.D. Jojo, project coordinator of ATREE, said that the survey had found the menace of jelly fishes in the lake creating trouble for traditional fishermen. The salinity level is very high in the lake as the Thannermukkom bund was kept open.
“As climate change affects the breeding of fishes, a detailed study is required to know the reason for the dip in species,” Jojo said.
The count found exotic fish varieties like poecilia mexiacana and moon gourami, besides arius which used to breed in the sea.
Compared to the fish wealth studies in Vembanad in 1980-82, more than 150 species had been found in the lake, whereas the number has dwindled to the present level due to human interventions affecting the lake’s ecosystem. It is estimated that a total of 7,500 tonnes of fish wealth in the lake is depleting every year.
