Asem Bhakta Singh, Special Correspondent North East
Imphal: Pushing on with its agenda of community-led conservation of Loktak Lake along with
protection of the wintering migratory water birds, the All Loktak Lake Area Fishers Union,
Manipur (ALLAFUM) called for ban on activities within the lake that undermine the conservation
objectives of the Union.
Outlining the negative approaches of local fishers using LED-lights to fish illegally within the
core area of the lake, the Union’s secretary Oinam Rajen Singh reiterated the Union’s earlier call
for banning of the practice within the immediate vicinity of the lake water body under the broad
supervision of the fishing community settled at Champu Khangpok Floating Island Village.
Speaking to media persons on Sunday, Rajen pointed out that due to several factors including
blocking of the traditional passage of migratory fish population by Ithai Barrage – a component of
the Loktak Hydroelectric Power Project – and overharvesting by local fishers using various means
of fishing techniques, the population of fish in Loktak Lake had declined sharply in recent years
affecting the livelihoods of the Loktak fishers.
The necessity to earn their livelihoods had forced many local fishers to devise different means
of catching fish, whether sustainable or not, Rajen informed the media team that the recent practice
of fishing at night time using LED lights is not only leading to over harvesting of the fish whereas
it is adversely affecting the feeding ground of the wintering migratory water birds that come to the
lake between October and February every year.
It may be recalled that local fishers had recently started using LED (Light Emitting Diode)
devise, a semiconductor diode normally used in electronic displays, indoor and outdoor lightings,
to attract the fish with the bright lights and Loktak Lake had appeared like a city with lights at
night time. The practice attracted the local authorities’ attention as entirely negative to the
traditional fishing practices of the Loktak fishers.
The night fishing with hordes of the brightly lit LED lights and the subsequent human activity
in the core area of the lake is scaring away the wintering water birds, Rajen informed stressing that
this negative practice needs to be halted in order to protect the long-distance flying migratory water
birds and to prevent the over harvesting of fish in the lake through negative practices.
Along with the call for total ban on night fishing with LED lights, the Union’s secretary
reiterated the Union’s call for closed season during January-February to prevent over harvesting
of fingerlings during the spawning period.
The local fishers must restrict their fishing activities to sustainable method of fishing to
prevent over harvesting of the fingerlings, Rajen told adding that the fishers must refrain from
using closely knitted fishing nets of mesh size 10 and 13 so as to avoid catching the fries and newly
spawn fish.
The Union is also against the practice of catching fish using battery-operated dynamoapparatus
which is entirely an undesired practice as it shocks and kills not only fish but other life
forms including amphibians, insects and planktons, the Union’s secretary said warning that the
members of the Union are always vigilant of apprehending locals using dynamo to catch fish
illegally.
The fishing community of Champu Khangpok floating island village in the midst of the lake
is shouldering responsibility for preventing the abuse of the lake and for the long-term
conservation of the lake including its biological diversity as the fishers have a high stake being
entirely dependent on the lake’s resources for their living and sustenance, the secretary informed.The Loktak Development Authority must take proactive role in designing and ensuring an
effective strategy for the management and conservation of the lake with the support of the Loktak
fishers so as to achieve meaningful conservation of the lake and to prevent biodiversity loss, Rajen
said.
