20,000 fries released in Narayani River

By Bom Lal Giri, Nawalpur, Nov. 23: Around 20,000 fish fries have been released into the Narayani River to mark World Fisheries Day.

The Veterinary Hospital and Animal Service Centre in Nawalpur released a stock of 20,000 fish fries of Rahu species into the Narayani River.

As per the decision made by the Central Fisheries Development Centre to release fish fries into the river for the conservation of communities dependent on water, a stock of fish fries has been released into the river, said Sandeep Lamichhane, the Fisheries Development Officer at the centre.

Lamichhane also mentioned that special attention has been given to families residing along the river and depends on the fishing profession. Despite the fact that the release of several thousand fish fries into the Narayani River may not significantly increase the overall fish population, it is a positive gesture, whether on a large or small scale, he added.

“While fish serve as a significant source of nutrition for many living beings, it is equally important to focus on their conservation. Therefore, the centre believes that by paying attention to the protection of fish, it not only contributes to the growth of the fish population but also provides relief to families dependent on river resources,” Lamichhane said.

This collaborative effort is seen as a positive step towards environmental conservation, he added.

“In Nepal, although around 20 kilograms of fish per person is deemed necessary, the domestic production falls short drastically, averaging less than three kilograms per person. This indicates that Nepal is not self-sufficient in fish production,” he added.

Fish farmers attribute the difficulty in achieving nationwide fish production to the challenges they face in producing fish in all seasons and the scarcity of fish in the market during production periods.

President of the Nawalpur Fisheries Commercial Farmers Group, Indramani Bhusal, has said that the support provided by the government for fish farmers is insufficient. He mentioned that there are challenges in the Nepali fish production sector, extending from production to marketing.

Chabi Lal Mahato, the president of the Kumarbarti Fish Farming Group, has expressed that Nepali fish are unable to compete with Indian fish due to the contamination of formalin.

Despite the government providing subsidies for fish fry, machines for feed production, necessary oxygen for fish, and assistance for digging the pond, farmers feel that the support is not sufficient. 

There is a lack of concrete data on how much fish is required and produced in Nawalpur.