The Mahseer
There are 8 known species of Indian Mahseers. TOR CHELYNDIDES TOR KULKARNI TOR PUTITORA TOR KHUDREE TOR PROGENIUSTOR MOSAL TOR MUSULLAH TOR TOR
In Karnataka the locals refer to the Mahseer as ‘Bili Meenu’.
Mahseer belongs to the carp family and is recognized by its large scales numbering 25 to 28 along the lateral line with two pairs of barbels. The males are identified by their long pectoral fins. Of these the Red Finned Mahseer/Deep Bodied Mahseer, TOR TOR is the most heavily built, reaching a length of 2.7m. The Mahseer is a very agile fish and thus popular as a sport fish. The species is migratory; moving upstream during rains. Females mature when they are 30cm in length while the males mature at 25cm. The courtship is a long process where males get attracted to a spawning female, which they pursue vigorously. When the female finds a suitable place to lay her eggs, the males swim around her and fertilize the eggs. The orange eggs are normally laid on sand and rocks. April to September is normally the spawning period but younger fish are known to spawn earlier. Mahseer are omnivorous. They have voracious appetites and readily take artificial lures.
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Our Catch and Release programme
For a number of years now the Mahseer has been pursued as a sport fish. In earlier times most Mahseer that were captured were killed. Today the Mahseer are protected and it is illegal to kill them. Our catch and release programme gives us a fair idea of the presence and condition of the Mahseer. We have observed a decline in the size and number of Mahseer mainly due to illegal netting and dynamiting. Dynamiting has taken its toll on the environment and is damaging the Mahseer and other fauna as well. Dynamiting wipes out entire schools of fish including fingerlings. Every Mahseer that we catch today is recorded and released back into the water with no damage to the fish and its surroundings. Due to our catch and release programme we are happy to observe that Mashseer are returning in numbers to the Forbes Sagar at Shivasamudra. This area used to hold numerous large Mahseer in earlier times, but indiscriminate poaching had almost wiped out Mahseer form these areas. Now, since the area is being monitored by our guards the Mahseer is making a comeback. However in other stretches of the Cauvery river poaching is still widespread. Our aim is to ensure that we protect as much of the Mahseer habitat as possible and the wildlife in these areas as well.
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