With the mafias becoming more active in promoting illegal prawn culture encircling massive areas (setting up Gheris) in the lake, the future of Chilika as the largest producer of fish, crab and other seafood seems depressing.
“The Gheris for illegal prawn culture is the major threat to the lake’s ecosystem and fisheries,” the latest document produced by the Chilika Development Authority (CDA) reveals. “Illegal Gheries covering at least 97.9 sqkm potential nursery and spawning grounds in Chilika lake accounting for 11.3 per cent of the lake water area is the biggest threat to fishery, ecology and livelihood of fishermen,” said the report.
So, the spawning grounds for the species of Kundala, Boraga, Sahala and Ilishi are unprotected and it is negatively impacting the fishery. A senior member of the Chilika Fishermen Central Cooperative Society (CFCCS) said it is due to the soft approach of revenue officials that mafias are having a field day in carrying out illegal activities in spite of strict restrictions in this world-famous brackish water lake.
This State-level fishermen’s body has been pressing for making the Chilika encroachment-free as the Gheris are threatening their livelihood.The other major problems are the concentration on fishing of small mesh Khanda at Magarmukh, the gateway between the lake proper and the lake outer channel, juvenile poaching and obstruction of the Palur Canal, feel environmentalists.
Unregulated destructive fishing by use of small meshed nets, sieve nets, zero nets and mantle nets is posing a huge problem, they point out.From 185 tonnes during 2002-03, the annual landing of Ilishi has gone down to less than 4 tonnes, officials admit. The average size in commercial catch has been less than the size at maturity, which is adversely affecting the stock sustenance and fishery in the lake, admit fishermen.
And it is a fact that excessive fishing pressure is threatening the sustainability of individual stock status and commercially important species, which ultimately would lead to fishery depletion in future, experts apprehend.