A satellite symposium on “Riverine Fisheries, Habitat Mapping, and Environmental Health” was conducted at the 13th Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture Forum (IFAF) in Kolkata, West Bengal, on February 25, 2024. The symposium was organized under the sponsorship of the elite Namami Gange banner of the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), Ministry of Jal Sakti, Government of India.
Dr. U. P. Singh, former Secretary Ministry of Jal Shakti, New Delhi, graced the occasion and delivered a talk as a keynote speaker on the topic “Biodiversity Conservation: An Integral Component of Namami Gange.” Dr. Singh stressed the importance and overall thrust laid by Namami Gange on biodiversity conservation and was enchanted by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi. Further, a total of six lead lectures were delivered by eminent scientists and academicians, such as Dr. Basanta Kumar Das, Director, ICAR-CIFRI; Dr. Utpal Bhaumik, former HoD of ICAR-CIFRI; Dr. Sandeep Kumar Behera, senior consultant at NMCG; Dr. R. K. Manna, HoD of ICAR-CIFRI; and Dr. P. Nautiyal, former professor at Garhwal University. Dr. Basanta Kumar Das, Director , ICAR-CIFRI and Principal Investigator of the ongoing ICAR-CIFRI NMCG project, outlined the brief activities undertaken by the institute to revive the biodiversity of the Ganga. He emphasized the eight-year-long activities undertaken in the line of river ranching, biodiversity, and ecological assessment. Dr. Das highlighted the tremendous efforts taken up by the CIFRI NMCG project to restore the Hilsa fisheries upstream of the Farakka barrage of the Ganga. Dr. Bhaumik placed a strong emphasis on managing the Ganga’s overall well-being, paying particular attention to the preservation of the valuable hila fisheries. Dr. Behera outlined the NMCG’s efforts to conserve biodiversity and revitalize the Ganga. He stretched out one of the NMCG’s long-term goals for Ganga rejuvenation is to bring back a sufficient number of the river’s endangered and endemic species so they can once again occupy their whole historical range and continue to play a vital part in preserving the ecosystems of the Ganga River. Dr. Manna discussed the effects of impoundment on fisheries and riverine ecosystems, drawing on lessons from India’s peninsular rivers.
Dr. Nautiyal gave a talk about the ecological condition of the Alaknanda River in Srinagar and the decadal shift in the structure of the diatom community. The session was also followed by nine oral presentations on the various ecological and fish diversity of the Ganga River and ended with a brief remark by the chairs of the session, Dr. U. P. Singh and Dr. Utpal Bhoumik.
Read more: http://www.cifri.res.in/art733.html
