Invent

Mahseer Conservation in Bhutan



NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ARTICLE ABOUT MAHSEER IN BHUTAN AND THE MAHSEER CONSERVATION PROJECT

The question of how best to protect aquatic biodiversity is a pressing one as many countries expand their development that directly impacts rivers. Unfortunately, there is a substantial lack of basic biological information for many freshwater fish, and that hinders conservation efforts and sustainable management plans.

The documentary “The Tiger of the River” tells the story of the Golden Mahseer in Bhutan and our telemetry research.

In Bhutan, they are addressing this deficiency of ecological information for their largest and culturally significant fish, the migratory Golden Mahseer.  The Fisheries Conservation Foundation, WWF-Bhutan, and the Royal Government of Bhutan Ministry of Agriculture and Forests have formed a partnership to assess the migration pattern of Mahseer using radio telemetry technology. This collaboration was a ground-breaking event for fisheries research in Bhutan, as well as for Golden Mahseer research in general, as no study of this scope has been attempted before.

This project is using radio-telemetry to track where Mahseer travel during the monsoon season, where they overwinter, and if Mahseer swim across the southern border into India. The project study area is in the Manas watershed, which includes the Mangde Chhu and Dangme Chhu, and the lower Manas River on to the border of India.

In addition to the Golden Mahseer (Tor putitora), the Chocolate Mahseer (Neolissochilus hexagonolepsis) is also part of the study. Each research trip and each analysis of the data brings more insight into the movement and behavior of these great migrators. We continue to be amazed at the distance these fish travel within one or two days. When individual fish move, how far they travel, their use of tributaries, and where they go within the watershed is a part of the final project report that was presented to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests in 2020.

It is our hope that this project can serve as a model to assist Bhutan in developing effective conservation measures for protecting Bhutan’s river biodiversity and the habitats upon which they depend, especially in the face of expanding human activities.

The International Mahseer Conference brought together research biologists, resource managers, conservation professionals, and river stakeholders to present the latest research findings and conservation strategies concerning Mahseer species. See here for more information about the conference, view the scientific program, or view presentations .

Mahseer Team Logos

The Golden Mahseer, Tor putitora, is a migratory fish that makes its home in the rivers of the Himalayan region. These powerful swimmers travel far and fast during the monsoon season when the rivers are raging, an impressive feat for any fish. In Bhutan, little is known about this mighty fish: how far they travel, where they overwinter, what tributaries are important for spawning, or even how long they live.

Golden Mahseer can grow to impressive sizes, with reports from India claiming fish as large as 100 kg, however, like many large migratory fish, the Golden Mahseer are threatened. Throughout their range, populations have undergone severe declines due to habitat loss and over-exploitation. Among the various Mahseer species, five are listed as “Endangered” and two as “Near Threatened” in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

After our first field expedition in  2015, we produced a report about how the project was started and a photo journal of the field work. Your can download our report here.

Contact Us

Fisheries Conservation Foundation
302 E. Green Street #2102
Champaign, IL 61825
info@fishconserve.org

Let’s Be Friends

Five Ways to Help

Are you looking for a way that you can help to preserve our aquatic resources? Let us show you five ways you can help today!

Scroll to top