Coorg Wildlife Society has been working to protect and conserve Mahseer, an endangered species of fish since 1985. CWS is organizing a very exciting Workshop which should be attended in large numbers – especially by youngsters, to understand what we can do as a community to protect the future of our Rivers and Streams. Educational Institutions would do well to include such events as projects for their Senior students as they are the future custodians of the sacred landscape of Kodagu that is under rapid decline, unless we take collective responsibility for its regreening, regeneration of water resources and put an end to exploitation and decimation of our land. Responsible and restrictive tourism alongwith community awareness and action is the need of the hour.
CWS has shared some exciting pictures. Readers must be made aware that this is essentially a catch and release depiction.
Register in large numbers. Birding, Fishing and preservation of Nature is a very engaging and rewarding hobby – especially for those who complain that there is so little to do in our beloved Kodagu. – CLN News Desk
The events of the day will begin at 7 AM. The participants will be briefed regarding the do’s and don’ts while being on foot along the river bank.
- At 7:30 AM the interactive walk will start and we hope to cover a distance of 1 km. During the walk we will be collecting details of all the birds that were sighted and the riparian vegetation along the river bank.
- A vegetarian breakfast will be served after the interactive walk.
- At 10 AM we will be conducting the Mahseer Conservation workshop. This will include the history of how the conservation activity started and how we have evolved into being pioneers in the field of river conservation. We wish to have a few anglers who will be sharing their experiences on the river stretch. Each session will be planned in such a way that the participants will not be bored at any point.
- The session from 11:30 AM to 1.00 PM will showcase the basics of catch and release fishing. Handling the fish once it is caught and safe release. This activity would enable people new to sport fishing to experience first hand the art of sport fishing.
- Lunch will be served at 1 PM.The entire program will be a zero waste event.
One of the best initiative taken by Coorg wildlife society. They have to have a control on it by converting it into an angling destination, where the revenue earned can be utilised for other conservation.
How residents can support this is by respecting Godess Cauvery not only at Talacauvery but till she reaches the Sea by keeping her free from pollution.
The Mahseer Conservation efforts by Coorg Wildlife Society has paid off in a very big way. The critically endangered Humpback Mahseer and Orange finned Mahseer are now found in good numbers in the protected stretch. There are recorded catches of the Mahseer fish of different sizes with CWS, which tells us that they are breeding and thriving in our waters.
Angling can become an obsession if one gets hooked on to it! You need tremendous patience, hard work, skill and a true love for Nature. Our family is a bunch of anglers whenever time permits.
Sharing a few pictures of heavenly catches around Valnoor, dutifully released back into the waters!
We must support such initiatives with enthusiasm. While the Birding Program was well attended and a success by any standard, it has the potential to become a “proper” Bird Survey with full length involvement my “experts” and planning for it well ahead of time. I suspect the Mahseer conservation is very unique and different to anything that is being conducted like this across the country. We have a good Fisheries Department who will proactively lend support too.