Delayed fish seed release worries Telangana fishermen

Delayed fish seed releases and falling water levels have raised concerns among Telangana’s fishermen over production and livelihoods. Fishermen’s representatives blame poor planning and stocking practices, while urging the State government to provide compensation and involve cooperative societies in planning

Hyderabad: Delayed fish seed releases by the Fisheries Department and falling water levels in water bodies across Telangana have raised concerns among fishermen over fish production and their livelihoods.

Fish seed is generally released between July and August. However, delays in finalising tenders pushed the start of this year’s release to September 28. Fish seed is usually stocked in 26,000 water bodies across the State. However, the stocking process has yet to gather momentum, with the formal release still pending in many water bodies.

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Nearly 4.30 lakh fishermen affiliated with around 6,000 fishermen’s cooperative societies are already concerned about the delay. The situation has worsened as water levels in several water bodies continue to fall due to deficient rainfall.

Fishermen face a challenging season this year. A member of the Telangana Gangaputra Community Development Organisation (TGCDO) said poor planning by officials had delayed the release of fish seed. The drying up of water bodies could further affect fish production. He said releasing fish seed at this stage would serve little purpose.

The previous BRS government launched the free fish seed release programme in 2018. The initiative helped increase fish production in the State substantially. Before the programme began, annual fish production stood at around 80,000 to one lakh metric tonnes. In recent years, it increased to 5.1 lakh metric tonnes.

However, production has declined over the past couple of years due to several factors. Fishermen attribute the fall mainly to untimely stocking, delayed releases, inadequate quantities of fish seed and the introduction of unsuitable species into water bodies.
“Only contractors are benefitting with the release of fish seed. Despite supplying lesser quantities, they claim bills for higher volumes. Amidst these practices, fishermen continue to suffer,” the TGCDO member said.

TGCDO honorary president G Satyanarayana said the State government should announce compensation for fishermen, similar to the assistance provided to farmers, and help them overcome the crisis in the coming season. He also urged the government to involve cooperative societies in planning measures to address the problem and ensure fishermen’s livelihoods.

“If the government fails to come to the rescue of fishermen, they will be compelled to migrate to other places, including Tamil Nadu and Mumbai,” he cautioned.