Hilsa spotted in Ganga near Ghazipur in UP, decades after barrage cut off migration route
New Delhi : Scientists spotted two hilsa in the Ganga along Ghazipur town in Uttar Pradesh earlier this week, decades after they were believed to have disappeared from the upper and middle stretches of the river, a sighting that scientists said may be an indication that the waters were once again conducive for the species. A senior Namami Gange official in Ghazipur confirmed the sighting. A senior Namami Gange official in Ghazipur confirmed the sighting. “Some more hilsas were reportedly spotted by the locals in two more riverine villages on Saturday. However, their details have not yet come to the district headquarters,” said the official, who asked not to be named. The sighting was also confirmed by officials at the Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute (CIFRI). The two together weighed 740g, said officials. Officials said the finding was significant not because two fish alone can establish a population, but because Ghazipur lies well upstream of the Farakka Barrage in West Bengal that has disrupted the hilsas’ travel and migration patterns since the 1970s. The species …
