Srinagar: Found only in the crystal-clear, cold mountain waters of Kashmir, central Asia, south and western China, a genus of fishes called Schizothorax comprises such famous species as are known in Kashmir as Snow Trout, Niger, Chush, Khront, Churu, and many others. Most of these, tragically, have lost their habitat in Kashmir due to water pollution, extraction of minerals from rivers, use of pesticides and fertilisers for agricultural purposes that drain along with water in lakes and rivers, and other such human activities. These fishes are very sensitive and the pervasive water pollution has poisoned them. Many of the native fishes of Kashmir have already become extinct.
Raja Begum, a Kashmiri fisherwoman who sells fish on the banks of Dal Lake, told Kashmir Reader, “I have been selling fishes for the past 28 years and Kashmiri people as well as outsiders love to eat Kashmiri fishes (Schizothorax fishes). These fishes had heavy demand in the market in the past and fish sellers would earn their livelihood easily, but now it’s very hard due to lack of Kashmiri fishes.”
She added, “Eight years ago I saw a dead Kashmiri trout floating on Dal Lake and I realized that it’s not possible now to see these fishes again. People as well as the authorities are responsible for the extinction of these Kashmiri fishes. Use of machines and chemicals for cleansing the Dal has resulted in these fishes dying and disappearing. These fishes lay eggs in weeds and the machines remove the weeds from the lake along with the eggs.”
Many Schizothorax fishes are, or were, native to Kashmir and attracted anglers from around the world. Kashmiri fishermen would export them to other countries as part of a once flourishing trade.
Jameela Begum, 65 years old and a resident of Srinagar, says she loves to eat “Kashir gaad” (Kashmiri fishes). Besides, her doctor says that these fishes are very healthy and loaded with many vitamins. She rues that the fishes now do not taste as they once did.
“It’s hard to find Kashmiri fishes these days in the market. You will find only Punjabi fishes,”she says. “In the past every Kashmiri during summers would dry the Kashmiri fish and in winter the most famous dish was “haggard” (dried fish) which Kashmiris loved to eat. But now everything has changed.”
Abdul Salaam, another resident of Srinagar, said, “In the past when you cooked a Kashmiri fish, the smell would spread to the entire village. The fishes now do not have that fragrance. Nowadays the taste of fish is very different from what it was. I miss that taste which was to be found in the fish we cooked in our homes.”
Experts have been consistently warning about the rising pollution in water bodies, emphasising that the local fish species are most sensitive to pollutants. Their larvae or juveniles are poisoned by the water pollution and most fishes die at a young age.
Manzoor Ahmad, who works in the Fisheries department, told Kashmir Reader that the high level of pollution in the Dal Lake has caused a sharp decline in the presence of Schizothorax fishes. The machines which are used to clean weeds in the lake are another reason for the extinction of these types of fishes, he said.
“The machines remove the weed which also contains the eggs of native fishes, due to which many fish species in the lake have gone forever,” he said, adding, “Now some of the Schizothorax fishes are found in the upper reaches of the tributaries, which are the breeding ground for these native fish.”
Assistant Director at the Fisheries department, Abdul Ahad Mir, said that Schizothorax fish were to be found in good numbers in the Dal Lake, but “due to the present situation of the lake”, they are almost fully extinct.
“There are many other reasons for the extinction of these fishes, but the main reason is the pollution of the water, as they can only survive in fresh, clear water,” Mir said.
Bashir Ahmad Bhat, Director of the Fisheries department, told Kashmir Reader that lakes and rivers in Kashmir valley have all become too polluted for Schizothorax fishes to survive. “Irrigation schemes, PHE schemes, etc, which are all picking through the natural water bodies, have put too much stress on aquatic life. The extraction of minerals in rivers where these fishes feed and breed is another reason for the extinction of many fish species.”
He added, “Many researchers are trying their best to save these fishes, but till now they have not achieved much success. They cannot even find the feed formula for breeding these fishes artificially.”

Naveed Ahmad Najar