INDIANANGLER

Muscular Structure of the Mahseer

Gentlemen if you go to any of the reservoirs in North India and go to the fish collecting points,at about 11 am you will find the percentage of Mahseer caught in the nets to be as low as 0 .5 % of the total catch. Very rarely can one find a mahseer above 5 kgs, though anglers catch bigger ones. The Mahseer population is 7-13 % of the fish population. Now there could be two reasons to it

Option One: The Mahseer has this uncanny sense to know that there’s a net there – Maybe ESP
Option Two: She is too strong for the net and just goes through it

Well which of the two could it be?

So while this was debated in our minds-all these years- I decided to skin a Mahseer and see its muscular structure .Would her muscular structure support her awesome power theory!

I reproduce two old pictures of the same mahseer before and after skinning (its a 16 Kg Fish.)

As you can see the structure is heavy muscle - In fact more than 65 % is heavy / red muscle.

Your views and what you vote for will be helpful in our study and as such much appreciated.


Thank You
Hamdhingra
Better Picture :http://img519.imageshack.us/my.php?image=mahseermuscularstructurtd1.jpg

Guys, I want your take on whether the mahseer is mentioned in the Indian Wildlife act? Is it part of any of the schedules?

Yes I think it is. There are signs all over Dadupur in Haryana that classify it as a protected species. will get you a photograph of one of these signs the next time I am there. Sadly you still can get a pass/license to fish at Dadupur and this piece of paper has everything written on it except what you can take form the water.

Here you go ... Sign from Dadupur.. :)

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r91/ ... ure131.jpg

-Inder

that was fast.

I'm unable to find any mention of the mahseer in the Wildlife Act though.....

Just read the sign properly. what it says is protect the fish and its habitat. And the fact that you can only fish for it using a hook and line.

No mention that is it protected or endangered.

As far and as best I know it is not in any schdule.It has been discussed. Reason that they give is that fish can not be identified by all.And too many local names.
Dadohpur does let you take mahseer and in the annual fishing competitions there they have given awards for mahseer. The competition croud is big. It was director fisheries Sarahan who did a lot to bring up the Mahseer there.With him gone a lot more is gone
Hamdhingra