J. Env. Bio-Sci., 2016: Vol.

30 (1):123-126
(123) ISSN 0973-6913 (Print), ISSN 0976-3384 (On Line)

STUDY OF PRESENT STATUS OF FISH FAUNA AND WATER LEVEL AT TUMARIA

WETLAND FROM U.S. NAGAR OF UTTARAKHAND
Nandkishor A. Ingole-1*, R.N. Ram-1 and A.S. Nain-2
1-
Department of Fisheries Resource Management, 2-Department of Agrometeorology,
G.B. Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar - 263145, Uttarakhand, India
[Corresponding author E-mail1*: nanduingole122@gmail.com]

Received: 21-01-2016 Accepted: 24-02-2016

Present investigation was carried out during July, 2014 to June, 2015 to study the fish fauna from Tumaria reservoir (Wetland) near
Corbett Tiger Reserve, Uttarakhand. An annual catch of 648.08 quintals (cumulative catch, Dec., 2014 to June-15) was obtained in
the year 2014-15. The group wise catch was dominated by the group 'Ka' (Carps, 57 %) fishes especially Labeo spp., followed by
Kha-1(with 17%), Kha-1 and Kha-3 each (9%) and Ga (8 %) from this reservoir. In Tumaria reservoir species wise catch data has
declined mainly due to dense Salvinia. The seasonal average of fish catch was low in winter than pre-monsoon seasons mainly
because of water level fluctuation and high wind velocity. During sampling dates, total catch 25.51 Q recorded stood maximum
catch during month of June-15 (13.51Q) at low water level (D.S.L.). It is concluded that average fish production only 40 kg/ha/year
was mainly because of less water nutrients and Salvinia infestation.

Reservoirs in India are considered to be a growing resource area. Water level from dam site on every sampling dates were
with enormous potential for yield augmentation through capture also noted.
fishery and extensive aquaculture. Instead of fulfilling
Fishing during monsoon season (breeding season) is banned
conventional needs the utility of these man-made water bodies
and it falls during the investigation period. The fish catch
for fish-production augmentation was conceived at a later
composition was categorized according to the fish group made
stage1. The main fishery in these water bodies comprised by
by Uttarakhand Fisheries Development Corporation (UKFDC)
Indian major carp i.e. Rohu, Catla and Mrigal, Common carp,
Dehradun for convenience of collecting dataof fishcatch(Table-1).
medium carp Labeo spp. and Cat fishes i.e. Wallago, Mystus
and Channa spp. etc. Stray specimens of Mahseer are also RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
caught casually near the mouth of the feeding channels during
Different commercial fish species were recorded during the
monsoons2.
sampling time from landing centre of reservoir. The month and
Tumaria reservoir is situated in Jaspur across the rivers Dhela season wise status of fish fauna for last 7 months (Dec., 2014-
and Fecko (Phika) with a catchment area of 284.16 km 2. It June, 2015) in Tumaria reservoir is shown in Table-2 was as
was constructed in the year 1961. The climate of near Tumaria following:-
is humid subtropical in nature. This area experiences hot, dry
The catch of Labeo rohita varied from 0.10 to 1.85 quintals (Q)
summer and cold winter. The north area of the reservoir is also
which was highest during month of June, 2015 and lowest in
covered with thick and reserved forest of Jim Corbett National
Dec.2014 and Feb.2015, with an average of 0.51 Q/day during
Park.
study period. The catch of Catla catla was nil in winter months
MATERIAL AND METHODS after which the maximum catch was recorded in June, 2015
(1.65 Q) with an average of approximately 0.54 Q/day. During
The 32 days interval samplings were carried from July, 2014 to
study period, Cirrhinus mrigala (Nain) varied from nil to 0.67
June, 2015 of local fisherman on landing centre of reservoir.
Q, its catch was nil in months of Dec.,14 and March, 2015,
Fishing activities were abandoned during the months of
highest in June-15 (0.67 Q) with an average of 0.23 Q/day.
September, 2014 to December, 2015 due to technical problems
The population density of Labeo Calbasu varied form nil to
in the lease system/ authority and during the months July,
0.05 Q during Dec., 2014 to April, 2015 with an average of
2014 to September, 2014 due to the close season. Sampling
approximately 0.04 Q/Day. The Common Carp ( C. caepio)
points were distributed throughout the site to cover its whole
NAAS Rating (2016)-4.20

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 FISH FAUNA OF TUMARIA WETLAND (124)

Table-1. Fish catch composition group wise categorized by UKFDC.

Ka Kha-1 Kha-2 Kha-3 Ga
(d) ([k&1) ([k&2) ¼[k&3½ (x)
(Spp. not present in class Ka,Kha
-1,Kha-2,& Ga)
Catla catla,Labeo rohita, Cirrhinus mrigala, Mystus tengara, Wallago attu, Labeo gonius, Clarias batrachus, Heteropneustes fossilis, Ompok Gadusia chapra, M. rosenbergii
Labeo calbasu, Ctenopharyngodon idella , Notopterus chitala, Notopterus bimaculatus, Pangassius pangassius, Nandus M. idella,
Hypophthalmichthys molitrix , Cyprinus Channastristus notopterus, nandus, Weed Fishes:
carpio, Tor tor Minor carps Mylopharyngodon idellus , Hypophthalmichthys (Esomus danricus, Puntius
nobilis sp.,and Setipina phasa

(Source; UK Matsya Vikas Nigam Ltd., Dehradun)

Table-2. Status of fish fauna during July-2014 to June-2015 (TUM)
Dates / Seasons Species wise Production (Quintals)
Monsoon Winter Pre-Monsoon Annual
Name
12 July-2014 13-Aug 14-Sep 16-Oct-2014 17-Nov 19-Dec 20-Jan-2015 21-Feb Avg/ Day 09-Mar 10-Apr 12-May 13-Jun Avg/day Avg/Day
Labeo rohita ¥ ¥ $ $ $ 0.10 0.35 0.1 0.18 0.21 0.55 0.38 1.85 0.75 0.51
Catla catla ¥ ¥ $ $ $ 0.18 0.2 0.12 1.64 0.54 0.54
Cirrhinus mrigala ¥ ¥ $ $ $ 0.1 0.1 0.10 0.07 0.22 0.67 0.32 0.23
Labeo calbasu ¥ ¥ $ $ $ 0.02 0.02 0.05 0.05 0.04
Cyprinus carpio ¥ ¥ $ $ $
Tor tor ¥ ¥ $ $ $ 0.3 0.30 0.30
Ctenopharyngodon idella ¥ ¥ $ $ $ 1.85 1.85 1.85
Wallago attu ¥ ¥ $ $ $ 0.04 0.03 0.04 0.06 0.1 3.55 1.24 0.76
Mystus tengara ¥ ¥ $ $ $ 0.03 0.06 0.05 0.02 0.15 0.1 2.45 0.68 0.47
Channa striatus ¥ ¥ $ $ $
Labeo gonius , Notopterus notopterus ¥ ¥ $ $ $ 0.18 0.18 0.3 0.3 0.85 0.65 0.53 0.46
Others ¥ ¥ $ $ $ 0.20 0.1 0.3 0.20 0.33 0.30 1.05 0.55 0.56 0.40
Chanda nama,Esomus danricus,Puntius spp.,Setipina phasa ¥ ¥ $ $ $ 1.05 0.1 0.4 0.52 0.40 1.50 1.30 1.07 0.79
¥- Fishing Ban $- No fishing

Table-3. Groups and Seasons wise Total catch composition data

Dates / Seasons Wise fish Production (Quintals) Total
Total catch
Groups Winter Pre-Monsoon Annual
sampling Date
19-Dec 20-Jan-015 21-Feb Avg/Day 09-Mar 10-Apr 12-May 13-Jun Avg/Day Catch
Ka 0.10 0.45 0.22 0.28 0.39 0.87 0.72 6.31 1.70 9.06 366.11
Kha-1 0.07 -- 0.09 0.07 0.02 0.21 0.2 6.00 1.30 6.59 106.9
Kha-2 - - 0.18 - 0.3 0.3 0.85 0.65 0.46 2.28 60.45
Kha-3 0.20 0.10 0.3 0.15 0.33 0.30 1.05 0.55 0.51 2.83 60.63
Ga 1.05 0.10 0.4 0.58 0.40 1.50 1.30 0.90 4.75 53.99
Total 1.42 0.65 1.19 1.44 3.18 4.12 13.51 25.51 648.08

catch was totally nil at different sampling dates. The catch of
Mahseer (Tor tor) and Grass Carp (C. idella) was totally nil in
all sampling dates except June, 2015 contributing 0.3 and
1.85 Q, respectively. Big size carps (middle feeder) dominated,
it might be due to irregular fishing practices carried out every
year because of Salvinia infestation. Therefore yearling of carp
stock gets hidden in submerged weed during fishing time and
caught in next year when the water level goes down at dead
storage level.
The catch of Wallago attu (Padhin) varied from nil to 3.85 Q
with highest during the month of June, 2015 and nil in Jan and
March, 2015, with an average of 0.76 Q/day during study period.
The catch of Mystus tengara (Tengan) varied from nil to 2.45 Q
with highest during the month of June, 2015 and nil in Jan,
2015, with an average of 0.47 Q/day. The Channa striatus
(Saul) catch was totally nil at various sampling dates. This
might be due to low level of water and operation of small mesh
size net.
The minor carps represented by Labeo gonius (Khaursa) and
Notopterus notopterus (Patara) varied from nil to 0.85 Q with
highest during the month of May, 2015 and nil in Dec. 2014
and Jan, 2015 with an average of 0.46 Q/day. The catch of
other miscellaneous fishes like Magur, Singhi, Godi, Black
Carp, and Big Head carp varied from 0.1 to 1.05 Q with highest

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 (125) INGOLE, RAM AND NAIN

Table-4. Water level and Fish catch trend at sampling dates

Fig.1: Fish Catch Composition in (%) of groups during

whole year (Dec-2014 to June-15)

Fig. 2: Water lavel V/S Fish catch Trend at different

Sampling Dates
during the month of May, 2015 and least in Jan, 2015, with an reservoir of which Garra, Glyptothorax, Labeo, Noemacheilus,
average of 0.40 Q/day. Tor and Crossocheilus were most dominant in the catches.
Some earlier workers reported 55 species of fishes from Sarda
The population density of weed fishes (Chanda nama, Esomus
river, the main feeding river to the Sarda Sagar4. Mahseer, (Tor
danricus, Puntius spp., Setipina phasa,)/Trash fishes, Suiya
tor), and (Tor puttitora) were also caught during monsoon (July-
fish and Jhinga varied from nil to 1.50 Q. Their catch was
September) and winter season5. On the other hand 39 species
maximum during the month of April, 2015 and nil in June,
of fish from 14 families from Nanak Sagar reservoir5, with
2015 with an average of 0.79 Q/day. Among weed fishes,
maximum Suiya spp. was found during winter months and the
Chanda and Puntius spp. were dominated species but record
same result was also recorded in Sarda Sagar reservoir6.
was not maintained because of the non-commercial importance
and difficult to segregate due to small size. In Tumaria reservoir species wise catch data has of declined
mainly due to dense Salvinia and high load of sedimentation7.
In earlier works3 in Tarai reservoirs, recorded sixty one (61)
Salvinia is a floating non-native weed that has dominated in
species belonging to 13 families in Sarada Sagar were reported

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 FISH FAUNA OF TUMARIA WETLAND (126)

Tumaria reservoir for more than three years. Last three years
fish catch composition trend has declined sharply because of
obstruction caused by Salvinia over some 250 km 2 of lagoons
led to collapse of fishery in the Sepik river lagoon system
(Papua New Guinea) due to Salvinia. The seasonal explosive
growth of Salvinia virtually stops any kind of fishing there for
several months in Kerala back water8.
Fish production trend: An annual catch of 648.08 quintals
(cumulative catch, Dec., 2014 to June-15) was obtained in
Tumaria reservoir in the year 2014-15. During sampling dates,
total catch 25.51 Q was observed the maximum catch during
month of June-15 (13.51Q). The catch of this reservoir was
dominated by the group 'Ka' (Carps, 57 %) fishes especially
Labeo spp., followed by Kha-1(with 17%), Kha-1 and Kha-3
each (9%) and Ga (8 %) shown in Table-3 and Fig.-1.
Water level and fish catch composition trend at different
sampling dates shown in Table-4. A clear inverse relationship
between water level and fish catch composition at different
sampling dates shown in Fig.-2. Reservoir water has been
release for irrigation purpose in months of April and May of
every year. Hence, water level goes below the Dead Storage
Level (D.S.L.) at same time high fishing pressure and its affect
on fish stock (overfishing). Loss of storage capacity of the
reservoirs due to siltation is one of the most serious
consequences of soil erosion9-10. The sediment transported
by the various rivers and tributaries is deposited in the
reservoirs, reduces the capacity of the reservoirs as well as
CONCLUSION
The study suggests the poor status of fish fauna mainly due
to Salvinia infestation. Fish catch was dominated by group
'Ka' (Carps, 57 %) fishes dominated especially by Labeo spp.
Big size carps (middle feeder) dominated. Carnivore fish group
was contributing less in total fish catch composition might be
due to low availability of trash fish as food. The immediate
need is, to a minimum conservation pool of about 10% of the
volume at FSL towards conservation of fish stocks and for the
promotion of developmental efforts
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Authors are thankful to Dean, College of Fisheries and UKFDC,
Dehradun for providing necessary facilities to carry out the
present study. The financial assistance in term of fellowship
offered by G.B. Pant University of Agri. & Tech., Pantnagar,
India, is also greatly acknowledged.
REFERENCES
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3. Motwani, M. P. and Saigal, B. N. (1974). Ind. Jour. Fish. 21(1):109.
4. Sinha, R. K. and Sharma, G. (2003). J. Ecophysiol. Occup. Hlth.
3:103.
5. Pathani, S. S. and Joshi, P. (2007). Aquacult (India) v. 8 (2):191.
6. Kumar, P. (2008). In: PhD Thesis M.J.P. Rohilkhand University,
Bareilly, UP.

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we can give some suggestion for conservation of reservoirs
8.
aquatic biota, which is very help full for enhancement reservoir
fisheries and to get high fish production. The water level should
9.
be maintain the above D.S.L by irrigation division and fishing
restricted during low water level by fisheries department for 10.
management and auto-recruitment of fisheries resources within
the reservoir. 11.
Ingole N. A., Ram R.N. and Kumar Prem (2014). Eco. Env. &
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Rome, FAO.
Sugunan, V.V. (1995). In: Reservoir fisheries of India. FAO,
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