Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge Vol. 8 (2), April 2009, pp. 237-241 Fishing methods in the rivers of Northeast India S D Gurumayum 1* & M Choudhury 2 1 Gopaldev Mandir, Tourangbam Leikei, Uripok, Imphal, Manipur; 2 Northeastern Regional Center, CIFRI, Housefed Complex, Central Building, Dispur, Guwahati 781006, Assam E-mail: santaguru@rediffmail.com, ranjanaguru@yahoo.co.uk Received 21 August 2006; revised 19 November 2007 The Northeast frontier of India, which has been ranked 6 th among the top 25 biodiversity spot in the world demonstrates the absolute dependence of men on nature. Riverine fishery resources of these states comprise 19,150 km of streams and rivers with diversified fish fauna, having both torrential and plain forms but still the old traditional methods of fishing are prevalent and most of the practices followed are primitive and outdated as there is no new and reliable technology available. Some of the existing fishing methods in the hill steams are hooks and line, maze/ barricade, encircling gear, entangling gear, impaling gear, scooping gear, groping, impoundment, indigenous trap and noose fishing. For the large scale fishing destructive practices such as dynamiting and poisoning are employed. Electric fishing is also becoming very popular in some parts. Keywords: Fishing methods, Northeast India, Traditional medicine IPC Int. Cl. 8 : A01K61/00, A01K69/00, A01K73/00, A01K83/00 The seven Northeastern states of India, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura are blessed with diversified fish fauna, which assumes special interest due to the fact that the region is drained by two important drainages, viz., Brahmaputra- Barak and Chindwin Irrawaddy. This region has been ranked 6 th among the top 25 biodiversity spots in the world. It has varied physiographic features ranging from river valleys to snow capped mountains making it a favourable habitat for a variety of ichthyofauna. Despite such a rich resource potential, the region is lagging behind in its exploitation and management. In the high altitude stretches, utilization of rivers and streams is low due to biotic, abiotic and socio-economic constraints. Still a substantial part of the resources in this region remain unutilized and unavailable. A substantial part of the resource in the northeast comprises capture fisheries, the management of which requires higher skill. Little research attention has been given for development of fisheries in contrast to the other water bodies. Riverine fisheries resources of Northeastern states comprise 19,150 km of streams and rivers. Except the Brahmaputra and Barak valleys in Assam and Imphal * Corresponding author valley in Manipur, the Northeast mainly comprises hills and mountains, which form 65% of its territory 1. The mighty Brahmaputra and Barak along with their tributaries form more than half of rivers in this region. Rivers of this region consist of both torrential and plain rivers. In Arunachal Pradesh, the entire 2,000 km of rivers are of true rheophillic type. Assam alone has 5,050 km of rivers including all the tributaries of Brahmaputra and Barak. Manipur has two major rivers viz, the Barak and the Manipur with a combined length of 2,000 km. There are 21 rivers in the hilly state of Mizoram, which along with their tributaries run into 1700 km. Meghalaya s 5,600 km of rivers mainly comprise the tributaries of Brahmaputra. Barak and Tizu are the main rivers of Nagaland, with a combined length of 1,600 km. Rivers of Tripura have a total length of 1,200 km. Ichthyofaunistic resources of the region exhibit a combination of both torrential and plain water forms as well as cold and warm water species and occupy diverse ecological regimes in their distributional range. The diversified aquatic ecosystem of the region harbours altogether, 230 fish species belonging to 103 genera and 36 families 2. Endemic species recorded from these states are 12 each from Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, 7 from Manipur, 6 from Meghalaya and one each from Mizoram and Tripura.
238 GURUMAYUM & CHOUDHURY: TRADITIONAL FISHING METHODS IN NORTHEAST INDIA Fishing methods Selection of fishing methods and gear are influenced by various factors such as physiography of the water body, nature of fish stock, characteristics of the raw material from which gear are fabricated and standard of living 3. Therefore, variation in application of gear can be observed in different rivers, which have characteristic of their own due to unique nature of the water resources of the region. The frequency in the operation of gears and fishing methods varies in different seasons in relation with level of water, movement of fish and their migration (Fig. 1-12). The prevalent and popular fishing crafts and gears used in this region are also very primitive, outdated and unscientific. Methods ranging from catching with hands to the operation of indigenous nets are adopted for fishing and still a number of the age old traditional methods are used. The methods used in this region are results of experiences gained over a period of time and are related to the topography of the fishing ground, ecomorphology and behaviour of fish 4. To some extent, the style of living and nature of consumption have also influenced fishing practices. Many people of this region like to eat the fry stage of the medium size fishes like Barelius sp and accordingly, catching methods also varies. Some specific fishing methods are very effective to catch a particular fish even though the method practiced is primitive. To catch the slippery and sneaky hill strums fishes, the people of this region used locally available materials and apply indigenous ideas and skills. Since no new and reliable fishing technology is available to the fishermen, sometimes they follow illegal fishing practices for large scale fishing, which is otherwise impossible in this torrential water bodies. Some of the existing fishing methods in the rivers of the northeastern region are: Hooks & lines In this method, a rod is tied with indigenous fiber or cotton thread or nylon twine and the end is fixed to a hook. The bait used to attract the fish may be earthworm, nymph of beetle, smaller fish or small frogs or artificial bait made up of rice bran or wheat flour. The line may be made up of indigenous fiber or cotton thread or nylon thread. This line may be attached to a pole (pole and line), which is generally bamboo or other locally available twinge. If there is no pole then it is called hand line. A sinker or float may or may not be there. There are many types of hooks and lines like short hand line, long hand line, pole and line, etc. The method is generally practiced as a leisure time hobby by most local individual in most of the rivers. Trap fishing This method is very common because it is less time consuming and less maintenance is required and no physical attendant is needed. This is generally operated for long time and operational time of the traps is different and may last for more than one week depending on the design, season and place of the operation. The traps are so designed that once the fish is entered it can not escape. Various names are given to different designs of traps. Maze/barricade The maze or barricade is a bamboo trap of various designs. The principle of the method is to trap the fish in a cage made generally of split bamboo. Once entered, the fish cannot escape from the trap. Sometimes, to lure the fish baits are generally kept inside the trap. This method is very common in this region as it does not need to guard the traps; they simply put the trap in a specific location and pull out after some time or some days. There are various shape and size of bamboo maze used in this region and their name varies with different locations. The shape may be of conical, cylindrical or basket type. Arial trap By this method, migratory fishes are caught on their way. Some kind of obstacle is put on the path of the migratory fishes and when the fish face the obstacle, they jump out of the water and fall in the traps. The traps may in the form of pit or bamboo stick knitted with threads kept in the way. Encircling gear This includes all types of nets used to capture fish by placing a mobile net to block the escape. Cast net made up of cotton or nylon twine or indigenous fiber is one such gear commonly used in the hill streams of this region. Entangling gear These are used to catch a great variety of fishes and are very common in the Northeast region. The fishes get caught in it by the gills. The net may be of nylon or made from indigenous fiber having various maze sizes to catch specific fish. Now- a- days, due to availability of nets from Myanmar, such devices are becoming increasingly popular.
INDIAN J TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE, VOL 8, No. 2, APRIL 2009 239 Impaling gear This is a form of gear by which a fish is impaled by a sharp device. The basic principal of the method is to make the fish wounded using some device like harpoons, spears, knife, sickle, etc. The device can only be employed when the fish is plainly visible. There are various types of the gears and name of the devices changes according to the location. Scooping gear Such nets are usually operated in the shallow waters for capturing small fishes. The net is usually made of cotton or indigenous fiber. In shallow water, scoop baskets made up of bamboo are used. Dragging gear Here, the net bags or nets are towed through the water. At least four individuals are required to do the job. It is generally done in winter, when water level decreases. The practice is commonly seen in slow moving rivers. Lift net In this method, a square net is used, where four corners of the sheet is tied to the tips of a crossed flexible bamboo. A bamboo is attached to point of crossing the flexible bamboo. The whole arrangement may or may not have a rope; when there is a rope to function then it is called a hand lift net and without rope, it is called Chinese dip net. The device is mainly used in slow flowing rivers in the plain. Electric fishing Using some crude devices, electric field is created in water to immobilize and collect fish. Current is passed through a naked wire/plate and the fishes are collected with hands or nets. This method is becoming very popular in most part of Manipur. Miscellaneous devices Groping In small pools, fishes are caught simply by hands. Commonly practiced by women and children, this requires deftness of hand and a considerable amount of practice. Fishes like Amblycep sp are caught with the help of a bunch of earthworms tied on a small rod, which is used as bait. Fishes are caught when they are busy in eating the worms. Impoundment This is done in two ways. One, a stream is diverted into a small channel at the end of which water accumulates to form small pool. These pools are demarcated with stones, wood, leaves, etc. The fishes, which enter the pool along with diverted water, are caught by pelting stone or by bailing out/draining water. At times water from the pool is bailed out and the fishes are caught easily. In the second method, an artificial barrier is formed in the small streams with stones in such a manner so as to leave holes in between them for the fishes to enter and settle. After some time, these are fenced around with close nit bamboo mats leaving just enough gaps for inserting traps. When stones are disturbed the fishes are forced into the traps. Dynamiting This is very common in all the hill streams of Northeastern India. It is used for large-scale fishing in this region. Poisoning This is another common method for fishing. The poison used may be of plant derivatives or synthetic chemicals. The fish killed by these methods are said to be fit for human consumption. Indigenous traps It is an indigenous method followed locally. A bye product formed while making rice bear is used as a bait to attract fishes into the traps. The traps are metallic trays covered with cloths with hole in it. The bait is kept inside the tray. Fishes enter the trap through the hole for bait and get trapped. The fishes especially of Barilius species are caught by this method at fry stage. Noose fishing Here, a rod generally made of bamboo cane with a string dangling at one end is used to catch fish. The end of the string is looped into a noose; the bait being fixed at few inches below it, the fish rising to the bait is caught by the noose behind the gills. Rivers of the northeast still remain almost pristine and only traditional fishing methods are used. They are obviously ineffective to exploit the rich fishery resources of the region. At the same time the destructive fishing practices such as dynamiting and poisoning need to be curbed to protect the environment. So it is high time to divert research attention for developing appropriate fishing gear in order to exploit the fishery resources in a proper and judicious manner. This can be achieved by both
240 GURUMAYUM & CHOUDHURY: TRADITIONAL FISHING METHODS IN NORTHEAST INDIA
INDIAN J TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE, VOL 8, No. 2, APRIL 2009 241 modifying the existing methods and introducing new methods. Acknowledgement Authors are grateful to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi for financial assistance rendered as part of an AP Cess Fund project on Riverine Fisheries of NE states and to the Director, CIFRI (ICAR), Barrackpore, West Bengal for providing necessary facilities. Authors are also grateful to Dr VV Sugunun, Coordinator, World Fish Center, Cairo Egypt for his encouragement in preparing the manuscript. References 1 Sugunan VV, Fishery resources of the Northeastern region and scope for their development, Fishing Chimes, 18 (1) (1998) 64. 2 Sinha M, Fish genetic resources of the northeastern region of India, J Inland Fish Soc India, 26 (1) (1994) 1. 3 Choudhury M, Fishing methods in flood plain lakes, In: Compendium of FAO sponsored training program on Flood plain fisheries management, (CICFRI, Barrackpore, West Bengal), 1992, 163. 4 Sharma Rupam, Traditional fishing methods and fishing gears of Assam, Fishing Chimes, 20 (12) (2001) 23. 5 Nath P & Dey SC, Fish and Fisheries of Northeastern India, Vol 1, (Arunachal Pradesh), 1989,194.