River ranching of Chitala fish

• River ranching of the state fish of Uttar Pradesh Chitala will be carried out to increase its population in natural water sources like the Ganga.
• This initiative aims to balance the aquatic ecosystem, increase the income of fish farmers, and provide a protein-rich diet to the public.
• The river ranching event in Varanasi released over 1 lakh Chitala fish into the Ganga as part of the Chitala Conservation and Promotion Project.

WHAT IS RIVER RANCHING?

• It is a form of aquaculture in which a population of a fish species is held in captivity for the first stage of their lives.
• They are then released, and later harvested as adults when they return from the sea to their freshwater birthplace to spawn.

ABOUT CHITALA FISH

• Chitala is a species of fish known for its nocturnal predatory behavior, primarily preying on smaller fish.
• Aslso know as –Indian featherback or Indian knifefish
• It is mostly known from major river channels (Indus, Ganges-Brahmaputra and Mahanadi river basins) and freshwater lakes but has also been observed in swamps.
• Distribution -It is native to the Indian subcontinent, including regions of Pakistan, India, Nepal, and Bangladesh.
• IUCN red list status ‘Near Threatened’