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| An expert examines a dead fish in Upper Siang. Telegraph picture |
Itanagar, Feb. 10 : The mysterious death of thousands of Ngoying, a local name for Schizothorox or a hill stream cold water fish, in Arunachal Pradesh has stoked fears among ichthyologists of an unknown disease assuming epidemic proportions.
The fish is widely consumed by people living along the banks of the Siang and the deaths, over the past few months, have raised fears among the people of Upper Siang, East Siang and West Siang.
Officials of the fishery department sought the help of experts from the Directorate of Cold Water Fisheries Research (DCFR) at Bhimtal for a solution to the problem.
The assistant director of fisheries in Itanagar, Tagi Yonggam, said this was the first time that such a disease had broken out in the state.
“The mysterious death of thousands of the cold water fish species called Schizotho-rox over the past few months has raised fears among nearly 30,000 people of the Siang basin. We are struggling to contain the disease and check the epidemic that has hit the fish-based economy of this part of the state,” he said.
Yonggam said district fisheries officer Kenbom Chisi reported the deaths to the directorate last week after a group of villagers from Mariyang and Geko circle of Upper Siang district expressed concern over the deaths. “Some officials and I visited the area and collected data,” he added.
The director of fisheries, Tage Moda, then contacted the director of the Directorate of Coldwater Fisheries Research, P.C. Mohanta, who deputed ichthyologist Sumanta Kumar Mallik from Uttaranchal on January 1 for a field visit. “Mallick compiled a report after a detailed study. The exact cause and name of the disease are yet to be known,” Yonggam said.
He said samples of the fishes’ livers, stomachs, gills and lower jaws were collected during the field study and were forwarded to the directorate for proper analysis and diagnosis. The study revealed an infection in the lower jaw of the small, silver-scaled fish and mild lesions on the dead fish.
Yonggam said this fish species was found in the Siang basin and the Himalayan belt. The fish can weigh upto 6kg.
A leader of the Maryang circle, Dukkang Pertin, today said there were reports of deaths of the fish in East Siang and West Siang districts as well. “The population of the fish we call Ngoying, Ngoki or Ngoyo is threatened. The water body is also contaminated and other species of local fishes are dying. We have raised an alarm and now the government must act promptly,” he added.
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| An expert examines a dead fish in Upper Siang. Telegraph picture |
Itanagar, Feb. 10 : The mysterious death of thousands of Ngoying, a local name for Schizothorox or a hill stream cold water fish, in Arunachal Pradesh has stoked fears among ichthyologists of an unknown disease assuming epidemic proportions.
The fish is widely consumed by people living along the banks of the Siang and the deaths, over the past few months, have raised fears among the people of Upper Siang, East Siang and West Siang.
Officials of the fishery department sought the help of experts from the Directorate of Cold Water Fisheries Research (DCFR) at Bhimtal for a solution to the problem.
The assistant director of fisheries in Itanagar, Tagi Yonggam, said this was the first time that such a disease had broken out in the state.
“The mysterious death of thousands of the cold water fish species called Schizotho-rox over the past few months has raised fears among nearly 30,000 people of the Siang basin. We are struggling to contain the disease and check the epidemic that has hit the fish-based economy of this part of the state,” he said.
Yonggam said district fisheries officer Kenbom Chisi reported the deaths to the directorate last week after a group of villagers from Mariyang and Geko circle of Upper Siang district expressed concern over the deaths. “Some officials and I visited the area and collected data,” he added.
The director of fisheries, Tage Moda, then contacted the director of the Directorate of Coldwater Fisheries Research, P.C. Mohanta, who deputed ichthyologist Sumanta Kumar Mallik from Uttaranchal on January 1 for a field visit. “Mallick compiled a report after a detailed study. The exact cause and name of the disease are yet to be known,” Yonggam said.
He said samples of the fishes’ livers, stomachs, gills and lower jaws were collected during the field study and were forwarded to the directorate for proper analysis and diagnosis. The study revealed an infection in the lower jaw of the small, silver-scaled fish and mild lesions on the dead fish.
Yonggam said this fish species was found in the Siang basin and the Himalayan belt. The fish can weigh upto 6kg.
A leader of the Maryang circle, Dukkang Pertin, today said there were reports of deaths of the fish in East Siang and West Siang districts as well. “The population of the fish we call Ngoying, Ngoki or Ngoyo is threatened. The water body is also contaminated and other species of local fishes are dying. We have raised an alarm and now the government must act promptly,” he added.
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