Wildlife enthusiast Joel took time out from wandering around India to work with Mahseer Conservancy for 1 month in March 2010. He conducted a pioneering research study looking at the decline of the Golden Mahseer on the Ramganga River in Almora. Braving the sand mining mafia, boys with explosives and illness he collected alarming data showing that the Golden Mahseer populations are being decimated. Indiscriminate fishing methods such as dynamiting, poisoning and electrocution are in widespread use and are having a devastating effect on the river ecosystem. Other human impacts such as sand mining, water extraction and pollution are all contributing to the destruction and shrinkage of the Golden Mahseer’s habitat and spawning grounds. Joel’s study highlighted that the threat to the local wildlife was extreme and action needed to be taken immediately. His report will be the foundation of several Golden Mahseer conservation initiatives in the area which will look to enforce the ban on dynamite, create numerous ‘mahseer sanctuaries’ and start angling based eco-tourism.

Joel’s time at Mahseer Conservancy was an invaluable and hugely enjoyable experience. It will also provide a practical perspective for when he goes home to the UK to do a Masters in Conservation and Biodiversity at the University of Exeter. Some highlights of his month stay were being left breathless when seeing a tiger for the first time, developing a passion for the magnificent Golden Mahseer and working with such enthusiastic and dedicated conservationists at Mahseer Conservancy. Joel hopes to return to India as soon as possible to follow up his initial report on the Golden Mahseer.

Joel’s aims for the future are to start growing his own vegetables, learn to play the flute and become a full time eco-warrior with a specialized lycra superhero costume.

A sporting event under the banner of “Sports for Conservation” is being organized by Society for Mahseer Conservancy from the 22^nd to 26^th January, 2010 in the lovely Baluli village, on the banks of the lifeline of Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR)–the river Ramganga. Sport is a very effective tool in the cause of wildlife conservation, particularly for the youth since it promises thrilling action while sermons and speeches take a backseat!

The first day of the event is dedicated to the girls, with games like kho-kho, kabbadi and rope pulling testing their mettle. A cricket tournament is planned for boys in the next three days. The last day has been earmarked for the prize distribution ceremony where the winning teams for each game will be awarded.

The sporting event will also boast a photography exhibition on the Indian vultures; the Ramganga river and its biodiversity; and the ill-effects of unsustainable tourism in the CTR area.

You are warmly urged support this event in person; either as a gung-ho participant or as a vociferous audience to encourage the various teams.

Please find above the fact sheet enumerating details for participation, logistic arrangements and available mechanisms for supporting this innovative initiative.

We look forward to seeing you at Baluli!

Feel free to call or write for clarifications.

Cricket players of 2006 tournament

The upper Ramganga is a typical Himalayan river with deep pools and glorious runs. Fishing is permitted along a 24 km upstream stretch—a delight for serious anglers who rate this stretch as one of the best organized in India for sport-fishing for mahseer, goonch, Indian trout and the lesser known kalabasu.

This part of the western Himalayas boasts a unique bio-geographical identify with a distinct icthyofaunal assemblage. There have been very few studies conducted on the ecology of freshwater fishes in this region. The most recent survey conducted by the Wildlife Institute of India in 2005, recorded 43 species belonging to six orders and nine families of fish in this river system. Each July, the monsoon transforms the river into a destructive spate. However, the now replenished nutrients ensure that the riverine system continues to flourish ad nauseam.

The fishing beats teem with clever Golden mahseer and goonch, while the old forests with elephants and great hornbills—testimony to the protection afforded to the Corbett National Park since the end of 18^th century for the Lieutenant Governor’s yearly shoots.

The Ramganga upwards of the Marchula bridge shimmies past scattered villages adorned with terraced fields and small temples. This 50 km stretch right up to Jainal boasts interesting fishing opportunities with gillies willing to hike their way walks to very remote areas far from habitation, and holding a rudimentary campsite or temple premise as a base, fish in some of the best spots adjoining sites.  The Hindu reverence for life has preserved the pristine nature of these regions and the locals have welcomed our philosophy of catch-and-release sport fishing.

The Ramganga is also home to the rare and endemic fish-eating gharial and mugger and a paradise for Otters—the Common, Smooth-coated and Small-clawed otters make the most of their larder which is well-stocked with turtles!

Avian predators that thrive in this river paradise are Pallas’s, Grey headed and Lesser fishing eagles, majestic osprey, several species of cormorants, darters, herons, five species of kingfishers and several other waders.

You can have the satisfaction of scooting away for a quick 2 day fishing excursion (from Delhi and near by regions) or spend a languorous 20 days sport-fishing—and never at the same spot!

It usually keeps to the surface of the water. When freshly caught in running water, its coloring is most beautiful. The brilliant silver of its scales contrasts with the pale greenish sheen of its back, giving a fleeting radiance. Chilwa has a habit of continually throwing itself into the air on calm still evenings.

Chilwa make excellent bait for mahseer. It is perhaps the most appreciated bait by mahseer. If Chilwa is seen moving in the river, it can be safely assumed that the larger fish are on the prowl and good sport is imminent.

Chilwa love fly-takers, occasionally jumping right out of the water in pursuit of flies! Quick striking and small flees are two of the sine qua nons for catching them. Some anglers spend hours with a tiny fly, amusing themselves snagging this fish.

It is silvery in color and has two or more rows of bluish blotches along the sides. Its caudal fin is orange stained with grey and black, while all other fins are orange. It is a highly predatory fish and frequents the runs in search of food. A voracious feeder, it will take live and dead bait, worm, spoon and a fly, and possibly other things which you might not be able to think of. When hooked, it gets infuriated and often leaps out of water in an attempt to get free.

Domunda the confluence of Ramganga and Mandal is perhaps the best spot to hook the Indian trout in this area and on several occasions we have caught half a dozen in a morning session with fly spoon or fly. Indian Trout is also found in the adjoining Kosi river.

The Indian trout is a tasty morsel and so are the other barils. The best on the plate is the one which has blue spots in place of red and lacks the adipose dorsal fin. It has large irregular brown or black markings and cross bands and yellow flesh that makes a good meal. The Indian Trout is good Bait for mahseer—the small ones are particularly loved by the mahseer, so they make an excellent live or dead bait.

A true bottom feeder the Kalabanse, its mouth protrudes downwards when open and has a distinct fringe on the upper lip. It has a partiality for mossy, slippery rocks and sunken trees in the river and can be seen playing about in such places, sucking and rubbing its sides against the rock or trees, as the case may be.

Kalabanse is a game fish and takes bait—paste or worms as well as usual tank angling baits. When hooked it fights most gamely, coming up to the surface and going down as fast, though it may not have the mad rushes of the Mahseer, yet it will not give in.

Goonch is a predaceous fish and lies in wait for its food in the swiftest water of the rapids, where it maintains position by adhering to rocks by means of its smooth chest and fins.

Goonch lie at the extremes of white water and are partial to the depths of the largest pools if there is a current slicing through them. Though very strong, they are sullen to a degree and sluggish in their movements especially on being hooked.

They sometimes take spoons and plug but are best on live bait (eel) spun very slowly. Once hooked, they go straight for the bottom. It is then the pull…devil…pull baker act which ensues, sometimes ending in favor of the fish.

To wear him out once snagged, tie your line to a fair-sized bamboo. Cut the line and allow the bamboo to float in the water. The bamboo bobbing in the current will keep a continuous strain on the goonch and hopefully by the end of the day it will be played out. If not, look for the bamboo next day.

Mostly, the goonch runs to about 250 lbs, though the largest that has been caught on a rod line was 164 lbs near Marchula and we believe the American angler who snagged it in January 2001, had to use both hands to land the big guy.

At the Corbett Tiger Reserve, the Jhirna Jhali pool, also referred to as the crocodile pool, is the best place to observe (only!) goonch. The pool is virtually packed with this fish! This rare giant has also been caught in the Marchula area, Jainal and Govind Rou of Vanghat beat. Undoubtedly, goonch is one of the most threatened big fish of the Ramganga.

The mahseer shows more sport for its size then a salmon and therefore considered the best sportfish in the world….this is what snobs (??) of the Raj era had to say. Mahseer have overjoyed generations of anglers and time after time lived up to being called the “Mighty Mahseer”.

A Legend: One of the fascinating narrations of Jim Corbett in his book “Man-eater of Kumaon” is about his fishing for mahseer in a river that flowed for some 60 km through a beautiful valley teeming with wildlife. The chapter titled ‘Fish of my dreams’ narrates how the air then was filled with the fragrance of flower and the spring songs of a multitude of birds. Corbett exclaimed that angling for mahseer in a sub-montane river in that atmosphere was a sport fit for the kings!

While Corbett felt that the 50 lb mahseer he had caught could be forgotten, what would remain etched in his mind was the sublime surroundings in which he had caught the fish. His description of the river and surroundings seem to bring to life the Ramganga valley of the Corbett Tiger Reserve which is till one of the few strong holds of mahseer in India.

A Brief: The mahseer is a freshwater fish that can attain a huge size. A 70-80 kg catch has not been uncommon in this area which boasts fish which can grow to weights exceeding 100 kg.

Most mahseer take the bait quite avidly which perhaps has helped cultivate an erroneous impression of it being carnivorous and rapacious by nature. Studies have proven that mahseer are omnivorous and take almost anything—weeds, snails, crabs and live fish. The etymology of ‘mahseer’ throws up interesting clues. The word could mean a fish with ‘Lion’s gameness’, ‘large-scaled fish’, ‘large-headed fish’ or ‘fish par excellence’!

Distribution: Mahseer inhabit most river and reservoirs of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Burma and Sri Lanka. Mahseer experts have recognized six to eight different species in India but no detailed information on the present status and distribution of each of these species is available. Different species of mahseer inhabit different habitats ranging from tropical water where the temperature in summer goes up to 35°C to sub-Himalayan waters where the winter water temperature drops close to 0°C. Mahseer can be found in streams a few metres above sea level and also in fast moving waters at altitudes of 2,000 m or more.

Ramganga: The mahseer species found in the Corbett Tiger Reserve is the golden variety (Tor putitora), graces the Ramganga river and weights up to 25 kgs. The biggest caught, weighed and photographed on the Vanghat beat was a 68 pounder in April 2004 by Mark Fielden from UK. Another Mahseer almost caught by Vish Satappam and George Fanthom, presumed to be over 70 lbs, literally dragged the rod away (which was later retrieved) and escaped.

Endangered mahseer: Accurate data on the catches of mahseer from different parts of the country is woefully lacking, however compression of figures from a few isolated surveys as well as observations of anglers and biologists indicate that there is a serious decline in the mahseer numbers in the country.

The decline is due to a combination of factors —unchecked and indiscriminate fishing, dynamiting and poisoning of rivers which destroys even the brood fish and juveniles, pollution and siltation of river bodies and construction of dams which has impeded the migration of mahseer, a factor crucial for its spawning. Unfortunately for mahseer, when compared to other commercial fish, it is more prone to depletion and extinction.

Spawning: A prime habitat requirement of the mahseer is clean water, which is fast becoming a scarcity. Favored mahseer spawning grounds are calm, well-oxygenated waters with a bed of sand or gravel. Journey to such grounds is fraught with risk and dangers. The fecundity of mahseer as compared to the commercially exploited species is very low. For example the Deccan or Khudree mahseer (Tor Khudree) has 6,000 eggs/kg body weight of rohu (Labeo Rohita) and 1,33,000 eggs/kg body weight of catla (Catla Catla).

The eggs of mahseer are demersal or capable of sinking to the river bed and therefore, mud instead of sand or gravel on the river bed can cause them to simply perish. The hatching period for Khudree mahseer is 60-80 hours while that of Golden or Himalayan mahseer is 80-96 hours as compared to the meagre18 hours for catla and rohu. Further, the semi-quiescent stage soon after hatching is three days for catla and rohu, while it is six days for Khudree mahseer. We can safely infer then that the mahseer is more vulnerable to all forms of decimation. If it is to survive throughout its range, there is an urgent need to plan and implement strict conservations measures.

Sumantha caught a Mahseer

Mahseer Haven: Ramganga river, where Corbett fished for his dinner, has over this century undergone a major change due to the construction of a dam at Kalagarh in the late 60’s and early 70’s. Consequently, the water in the reservoir encompasses an area of 60 sq km in summers and 80 sq km in the winter months. With the monsoons of July-August, areas around the 16 km of the river from Kalagarh to Dhikala stands inundated. Fortunately, the 32 km stretch of river a little upstream of Vanghat, (from where it enters the Corbett Tiger Reserve) right up to Dhikala, remains what it was a hundred year ago—a spectator to the abundant wildlife on both the banks. Mandal and Plain rivers, the upstream tributaries of the Ramganga, are vital spawning grounds for the Mahseer of the Tiger Reserve. Spawning usually occurs in the month of August.

“Tiger is giving us dodge”, declares wildlife guide Hem Bahuguna, calling a halt near some tell-tale pug marks (pawprints) and scrapings. As the engine cools, then stills, we hear only the birds, the soft breeze and the distant chattering of monkeys. From time to time, another jeep materialises, stopping to exchange a few words. Otherwise, here in India, most crowded of nations, there is perfect peace.

Corbett is India’s first, perhaps finest, Tiger Reserve and is buffered by surrounding tracts of country. You can spend days chasing tigers or cast a line to tempt the golden mahseer. The Ramganga Reservoir provides year-round water for the animals and spawning grounds for the golden mahseer, which migrates upstream.

Tall stands of teak, with its strikingly wide leaves, and the equally imposing sal clothe the hillsides, and wide gravel river beds traverse expanses of waving grass. Gharial, the snouted crocodile, coexist alongside the mugger crocodile and the otter. Sambar, chital or spotted deer and the solitary muntjac or barking deer are all readily spotted, especially when browsing in the grasslands. Less visible, the wild boar, sloth bear and tiger all record their passing with spoor – paw prints and droppings.

The eco-friendly Vanghat River Lodge in the Corbett Tiger Reserve

Panthers, although endangered, continue to be sighted in the hill country – but, Bahuguna admits gloomily, Indian authorities have recently confiscated quantities of contraband skins.

Macaques or rhesus monkeys, the males’ buttocks comically inflamed during the present mating season, together with the larger langurs, enliven otherwise still forests.

At least, 500 of India’s 1,300 known bird species are recorded at Corbett: a hoopoe browses boldly; a lone rose-winged parakeet stands out against bare boughs.

Bahaguna has set up a pre-dawn rendezvous at Amdanda Gate, outside the town of Ramnagar. A pallid pink orb begins to burn through the mists which rise above forest and grassland as the jeep reaches Bijrani camp, where day-visitor facilities operate.

By noon, we have jolted across innumerable gravel river beds, wound up into the dappled shade of sal forest and back down again, and climbed a watchtower on the edge of a broad river valley. We have examined the bark torn and chewed by elephants, noting the bushes trampled by these huge and demanding creatures. Tiger pug marks and droppings beside the track indicate the age and health of the animal.

Tigers often prove elusive, but park director Rajiv Bhartari will explain why this is no cause for concern. At Corbett, an estimated 143 tigers range across 1,218 square kilometres of rugged terrain. This population density is considerably lower – and therefore healthier – than at some of the better-known reserves in western India.

Scientists are conducting a tiger census, and the numbers are coming in well above expectations.

Villagers in the community established by celebrated tiger hunter Jim Corbett

Jim Corbett, author of the best-selling Man-Eaters of Kumaon, became a larger-than-life figure in the Himalayan hill country before World War II. The British hunter tracked down and killed 50 man-eating tigers and more than 250 leopards which had terrorised local villagers, but believed that a taste for human flesh was developed only by ageing or wounded tigers. His concern for the tiger’s survival led to the reservation of what would become today’s Corbett National Park: the starting point in 1973 for the groundbreaking Project Tiger.

The hill people of Kumaon remember Jim Corbett not only by the reservations which bear his name, but for his dedication to the welfare of his tenant farmers for whom he created a model village at Kaladhungi. Choti Haldwani, Corbett’s bungalow where the life-long bachelor lived with his sister Maggie, has been preserved as a museum, whilst a walking trail meanders through the mustard seed and sugar canefields of his former estate.

James first trip to Uttarakhand was in the monsoons of 2001 and organized a fishing trip into the upstream sections of the Ramganga. It was here that he really reeled in my first Mahseer and proudly let is go. This was a turning point in my life. Eventually when I wanted to develop a community based wilderness fishing loge on the Ramganga James stood by me and helped in every way possible. Not only did we manage to development a unique wilderness lodge but managed to conserve the wildlife and fished in this part of the Ramganga valley. I, these wildlife rich Sal forest and the creatures that dwell in the crystal clear Ramganga will forever remain indebted to this wonderful human.