Current status of fish fauna, catch composition of Hokersar Wetland, Kashmir

Abstract

Wetlands, natural and manmade, freshwater or brackish, provide numerous ecological services. Hokersar, the Queen of wetlands in Kashmir Himalaya, is a natural perennial wetland (34o05`N- 34o06`N latitude and 74o8-74o12`E longitude) located 12 km to the west of Srinagar on Srinagar – Baramullah Highway in the northern most part of Doodhganga catchment. The present study was carried out for a period of twelve months from December 2017 to November 2018 at six different sites of the Hokersar Wetland, Kashmir. A total of two species of fishes were collected from the lake which include Cyprinus carpio var. communis (Punjaeb Gad), Cyprinus carpio var. specularis (Punjaeb Gad) and Schizothorax niger (Ale gad). Overall contribution of the common carp was recorded as 68.4% by biomass and 69.1% by number. Among Schizothoracids, S. niger was the only snow trout found in the wetland. It contributed the catch of 33.8% by biomass and 33.9% by number. Maximum catch composition (by biomass) was recorded in the month of March from Site 3 and minimum in the month of April from Site 3.