Birdwatchers and conservationists express concerns that both regulated and illegal fishing activities within the buffer zone of the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) are potentially affecting food availability and, consequently, biodiversity around waterbodies and wetlands in the protected area. Fishing is permitted in specific lakes and waterbodies in the Nilgiris with proper permits from the T.N. Fisheries Department.
While some waterbodies, like Pykara, Glenmorgan, and the Kamaraj Sagar Dam, lying outside protected areas, have no adverse effects on local biodiversity, others, like Maravakandy Dam near Masinagudi in the MTR buffer zone, allow fishing within protected areas.
Over recent years, intensified fishing in Maravakandy Dam reportedly led to a decline in bird sightings and fewer aquatic mammals like otters. During the Covid-19 lockdown, when fishing was temporarily halted, otters were regularly observed around the dam, along with sightings of migratory birds like Ospreys.
Local residents report fishing activities in an abandoned stone quarry in the area, used by Wooly-necked storks and rare mammals like striped hyenas. The quarry also serves as an illegal dumping site, impacting the local environment.
Jothilakshmanan, Assistant Director of Fisheries (Nilgiris district), states that fishing in Maravakandy Dam is regulated, allowing only the capture of common carp fish. However, complaints of illegal fishing in the abandoned stone quarry prompted an inquiry, revealing unauthorized activities by private individuals without permits.
Source: The Hindu
