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| 2. FISH AND FISHERIES STATUS OF NEPAL 2.1 STATUS OF FISH IN NEPAL The Himalayan kingdom of Nepal occupies a large part of the central Himalayas which supports the varying array of water bodies supporting biologically diverse fish fauna. According to Shrestha (1995), there are one hundred and eighty five fish species included in 79 genera belonging to 31 families and 11 orders. Thirty-four threatened species (vulnerable, endangered and rare species) are recorded from Nepal consisting of 18 percent of total number species. Ninety species (49 % of total number of species) have the status of commonly/occasionally recorded. Sixty-one species (33 %) have the status of insufficiently known; this includes the ten species for which no accounts have been given (Table 2). Table 2: Status Account for Fish Species of Nepal. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Status Account IUCN Categories Number of Species --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Common/occasional 90 Insufficiently known K 61 Vulnerable V 9 Endangered E 1 Rare R 24 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total 185 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Source: Shrestha, 1995. The Vulnerable species are Acrossocheilus hexagonolepis, Chagunius chagunio, Tor putitora, Danio rerio, Schizothorax plagiostomus, Schizothorax richardsonii, Schizothoraichthys progastus, Psilorhynchus pseudecheneis, Anguilla bengalensis and one endangered species is Tor tor. It is recommended that legal protection be accorded to these ten fish species (Shrestha, 1995). 2.2 STATUS OF FISHERIES IN NEPAL Fisheries is a small but important sub-sector of agriculture which contributes about 1.46 percent to agricultural gross domestic product which amounts to 0.8 percent of the gross domestic product (NAPP, 1994 cited in NARC, 1994). Fish culture has a short history in Nepal, while capture fishery in rivers, lakes, reservoirs, wet lands and flood plains has been practiced for long time. Significant increase in the amount of fish production can be achieved through the development and management of culture and capture fisheries. The per capita animal protein consumption in Nepal was 7.5 kg/yr in 1990 and fish contributed about 0.8 kg (10.8 %) of animal protein consumption. The total nutritive value in terms of calories, protein and fat available per caput per day in 1990/91 was 2288, 61.5 and 30.4 gm respectively. And the livestock based products contributed 7 percent, 15 percent and 47 percent for calories, protein and fat respectively (DFAMS, 1992 cited in NARC, 1994). This shows very low consumption rate of fish in Nepal. The per caput supply of fresh and processed (dried) fish in Nepal was 0.8 kg and 0.01 kg in the year 1990/91. The estimated export of fresh fish declined from 3000 MT/yr in the mid eighties to a few hundred MT/yr by the end of the decade (Anon, 1990, cited in NARC, 1994). The demand of fish flesh is high and is mostly met by domestic product which is also supplemented by the import of fisheries products from the neighbouring countries. The domestic production comes from both the traditional capture fisheries as well as from the steadily increasing culture fisheries in ponds, lakes, reservoirs and wetlands. Fish production is targeted to reach 50,000 tonnes by the end of the century, which is nearly four times the present production level. To achieve these goals, intensive fishpond culture has to be developed. Aquaculture production reached 8,364 tonnes in 1992793 (about 57 %) in a total fisheries production of 14,775 tonnes in Nepal (Table 3), (Pradhan and Pantha, 1995). Table 3: Aquaculture Production in Nepal. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1986/87 1987/88 1988/89 1989/90 1990/91 1991/92 1992/93 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total production (tonnes) 10717 12100 12522 14547 15595 16516 14775 Capture fisheries (tonnes) 5711 5661 5601 5561 5576 7115 6356 Rivers and lakes 5281 5281 5281 5281 5281 5281 5865 Other wetlands 430 380 320 280 295 1834 500 Aquaculture production (tonnes) 4939 6364 6845 8906 9935 9340 8364 Ponds 4889 6301 6770 8788 9812 9236 8215 Rice fields - 4 9 10 10 13 17 Cage/enclosure 50 59 66 108 113 91 112 Other - - - - - - 20 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Source: FDD, Department of Agriculture Development (Pradhan and Pantha, 1995). The pond area and fish production between 1981/82 and 1993/94 increased by 413 and 377 percent respectively. In case of capture fishery from the natural water bodies, the increment is 164 percent only, while in capture fishery the increment between 1981/82 and 1993/94 was 1117 percent. During the same period, the pond productivity increased from 0.8 MT/ha to 1.99 MT/ha and per caput consumption of fish has increased from 235 gm to 859 gm. For increment of fish production, captive fishery has the great potentiality, because there is an ample opportunity for the expansion of culture area. On the contrary, the potentiality of increased production by capture fishery is very less. By the end of the Eighth Five Year Plan period (1996/97), national fish production is expected to reach 22,311 MT of which culture fisheries will contribute 13,278 MT (59.5 %) and capture fisheries 9033 MT (40.5 %). By the end of the Ninth Five Year Plan (2001/02), the respective contribution of culture fisheries and capture fisheries will be 16,192 MT (57 %) and 12,090 MT (43 %) amounting a total production of 28,282 MT. Similarly by the end of Tenth (2006/07) and eleventh (2011/12) Five Year Plan periods, the total fish production is envisaged to reach to 35,241 and 41,421 MT respectively of which culture fisheries and capture fisheries will contribute 55 percent and 52 percent respectively (FDD, 1994 cited in NARC, 1994). Similarly, per caput fish consumption is targeted to be increased by 2 kg from the present level of about 800 gm by the end of year 2000 A.D. (FDD, 1992 cited in NARC, 1994). Due to the lack of trained manpower in river fishery management, and the unavailability of required investment for natural exploitation for aquaculture, very little is known about the physico-chemical and biological characteristics of these rivers and streams of Nepal at present. The fish production is also low in torrential rivers and streams of mountains due to the fast flowing currents of water, low temperature and low nutrients (Shrestha, 1991). Limited information is available on the fish fauna of the Tinau rive. Shrestha (1981) reported 8 species only from this river and its tributaries. No information about the distribution pattern, habitat ecology and status of fishes of Tinau River is known. Therefore, the present investigation has attempted to study the existing ichthyofauna of Tinau River, physico-chemical parameters of water in relation to the fish fauna distribution, their abundance, frequency etc. The attempt has also been made to study the socio-economic condition of local fishermen, fishing implements and the impact of dam on fish distribution in the Tinau River. The basic data of the study will be helpful to manage the conservation and production plan from fishery point of view of Tinau River in the future. |
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