Captive breeding and growout of the golden mahseer

Abstract

The golden mahseer (Tor putitora) are large cyprinids inhabiting the clear, pristine and fast flowing waters of Asia, from the cool waters of Himalayan streams to the tropical rivers of Southeast Asian jungles. They are highly prized fish, valued for their excellent taste, beauty and fighting skills. The mahseer attracts anglers as well as naturalists from all over the world. In the Indian sub-continent, the mahseer is encountered in the Tor zone (600-1200 m) of glacier-fed Himalayan rivers with a much more extended distribution to the lower reaches of the subcontinent's rivers. Also called sahar or mahasheer in India, the species is distributed there in many rivers, streams and lakes of the mid- Himalayan belt of Assam, Jammu and Kashmir and Sikkim. It is also found in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Nepal, Pakistan, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia. The mahseer is one of the species with potential for fishery development (including aquaculture) in Trans-Himalayan countries. In nature, the fish is known to reach a body weight of 45 kg in large rivers. The word "mahseer" means "great mouth" in India, an apt name for the long slim creature known to be the toughest fighter among freshwater sport fish. In this paper, development of captive breeding technology for the golden mahseer with an aim of providing seed for stocking natural and man-made water bodies, thus promising supplies of the fish for food and sport while assuring the conservation of this magnificent fish was discussed.