Smita Adhikari

Pokhara, Aug. 18 : The local fishermen (Jalaris) around Fewa Lake are quite worried as their income has dropped these days because of deception in fish sale growing rapidly. According to them, some of the fishermen secretly import tons of fish from India or Terai region and sell it to the hotels saying it is local.

"This tendency has hampered our profession," Indra Bahadur Jalari, one of the active fishermen around Fewa Lake area, said noting the worry if this trend of cheating grows, the local fisheries will drown one day.

To supply the local fish to the local hotels around lakeside, the group of local Jalaris had also formed a co-operative years before. Through this, they would sell monthly 3000 kgs of fish to the local hotels.

"For the past few years we have been compelled even to destroy our fish daily," Gyan Bahadur Jalari, another fisherman of Fewa Lake, said.

According to Jalaris, the imported fish is slightly less costly than the local fish. "For the same reason, the hotels easily buy the fish of cheaters," Indra Bahadur Jalari said adding the hotels too were unknowingly cheating the clients.

There are almost 300 households which are directly or indirectly involved in fishing/fisheries in Fewa Lake for their livelihood. Their purpose is not only to maintain their livelihood but also to give tourist the real test of local fish.

"But the cheating is growing, so we just want the concerned authorities to stop it soon," Chair of Fewa Harpan Fishery Co-operative Limited, Indra Bahadur Jalari, said.

He also informed, since last year the members of fishery group have been following the persons who are involved in cheating and caught few people too.

"But they did not obey us, so demanding to stop the cheating in fish sale we have started to knock the doors of concerned authorities like CDO Office, Pokhara Metropolis, Nepal Police and so on these days," he said.