Tamakoshi fish being electrocuted regularly

Ramechhap, June 15:

Fishermen living on the banks of the Tamakoshi river have demanded an end to the practice of electrocuting fish in the river.

Bombs, electricity and even insecticides are being used to kill fish, they say, demanding that these practices be brought to an end.

“If left unchecked, these activities will have a negative impact on the environment,” the fishermen say.

“Live electric wires planted in the river waters not only kill the fish; they also kill other aquatic beings,” says treasurer of the Majhi Utthan Sangh (Ramechhap) Ganesh Bahadur Majhi.

This practice poses a serious risk for fishermen, their families and the environment.

Thanks to this practice, the river has run out of fish, says a fisherman, of Bhulwajor village development committee-1, Dambar Kumar Majhi. Traditionally, fishermen use nets, hooks and knives to catch fish.

“The use of electricity to kill fish in the river is on the rise, and electric shocks are also causing the death of other aquatic life forms till a depth of 200 metres in the Tamakoshi river,” another fishermen Shree Bahadur Majhi says.

“We have received verbal complaints about this sort of fishing. We will take action to stop it,” says Deputy Superintendent of Police at the District Police Office, Shivhari Banskota.

Meanwhile, fishermen living on the banks of the Tamakoshi river have formed a Majhi Rights Protection Committee (MRPC) to put an end to reckless fishing in Tamakoshi.

Issuing a press statement today, the MRPC urged journalists, human right activists and the local administration to ban reckless fishing in the river.