eChapter Name: Fisheries Sector in Kashmir Valley: The Threats, Opportunities and Challenges
9789367554197
eBook Name: AQUATIC ECOSYSTEM IN COLD REGION
Introduction
The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is blessed with various water resources dispersed over an area of 0.40 lakh hectares due to its distinct terrain and three distinct climatic conditions. There is enormous potential for coldwater, warm-water, reservoir, and sport fishing due to the existence of coldwater streams, rivers, lakes, high-altitude lakes, springs, and sars, among other features (DoF-J&K, 2022). Three-quarters of the cold-water fisheries Exclusively Distributed by NIPA GENX Electronic Resources and Solution Pvt. Ltd. New Delhi are derived from J&K. Still, the UT makes for no more than 1% of the nation's aquaculture output. According to DoF (2020), J&K had 0.21 lakh tonnes of inland fish output in 2019–20. In Kashmir, just 15% of the 70% of people employed in agriculture are fishermen (Qureshi, 2013). Limited infrastructure and connectivity in the highlands are substantial obstacles to the sector's expansion. However, the fishing industry still plays a significant role in the existence of the inhabitants of Kashmir, providing subsistence fishing as a means of nutrition and operating as an affordable and dependable supply of protein in the landlocked area (CMFRI, 2015). Approximately 70% of the entire output comes through the lakes of Dal and Wular, which account for the bulk of the harvest (Qureshi, 2013).
The characteristics of cold-water assets, including creeks and upland streams, contain exceptional transparency, high dissolved oxygen (DO), bedrockboulder- sand substrata, and high flow rates. These natural settings consist of gushing waters, cascades, torrents, and deep pools. The slopes of the Himalayas are home to 272 fish species (Sarma et al., 2018). Elevated heights result in reduced human influence and nutrient-poor water bodies due to catchment features. The glacier lakes are ultra-oligotrophic at relatively high elevations (Gopal, 2012). Fish in these waters develop slowly and only to tiny sizes because of the limited biological production. Large-scale commercial fisheries are therefore not supported by these cold-water resources. Likewise in other areas, human footprints have had a noticeable effect on Kashmir's flora, wildlife, and water sources. Challenges include things like contamination, eutrophication, and the inundation of alien species. Massive sedimentation has been made worse by tourism and growing urbanisation, which has reduced fisheries. Particularly impacted are native fish species, notably those in the Schizothorax genera (Qureshi et al., 2013). The future value of resourcefulness is diminished by this deterioration, which affects regional populations' ability to make a living and provide adequate nutrition. At this stage, the lakes in Kashmir are frequently contaminated, weed-filled, vulnerable to harmful algal blooms, bordered by marshlands (Tahseen et al., 2018). The concern must be addressed, with special attention to the larger context of Kashmir. Under several topics, this section examines the primary human interactions and how they affect the cold-water fishing industry and management.