A Modeling Approach to Determine the Harvest Potential for Sustainable Fishery in Stocked Reservoirs

Abstract

India is bestowed with rich inland water resources – viz. ponds, lakes & reservoirs, and rivers among others. Inland fish production – especially from reservoirs - over the years has grown steadily contributing much to the nutritional security of the people, poverty alleviation, community development and women empowerment. Recent advancements in modeling offer tremendous scope to determine population harvest from open waters. In reservoirs, fish harvest levels are of paramount importance because they should ensure sustainability of the fisheries and economic viability. Since stocking is resorted to enhance fish production in reservoirs these days, in this paper, a modeling approach has been attempted for sustainable fishery exploitation in stocked reservoirs. Accordingly, a modified Verhulst-Schaefer model that takes into account the impact of stocking of fingerlings in reservoirs on fish population growth – was applied in one stocked reservoir. Catch/effort and stocking data from Bargi reservoir (Madhya Pradesh, India) was used in model validation and in the estimation of Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY). The present study not only be helpful to estimate impact, but also to understand how different stocking regimes impact the fish harvest potential at varying levels of efforts for effective fisheries management of reservoirs.