Introduction

North East India is one of the hotspots of freshwater fish biodiversity in the world.¹ The number of fishes reported from this area has varied greatly, ranging from 172 to 267.^2,3 Assam is home to about 1.03 lakh hectares of lentic natural water bodies, including wetlands connected to the Brahmaputra, Barak, and their tributaries. Wetlands, which make up approximately 6% of the earth’s surface and are the most significant ecosystem, are a crucial component of both the terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Fish diversity is rich in the wetland ecosystems. ^4-9 Studies have recorded the presence of 217 different fish species in different wetlands of Assam.¹⁰

The effectiveness of the materials used, the availability of fish, the choice of location, the timing, and other factors all affect how well a fishing approach works. Traditional, non-mechanized, and primarily locally made are the fishing equipment and crafts used in Assam. In Assam, methods such as grapping and the use of enormous, locally built nets are used to catch various types of fish due to the  widely diversified natural water regions of the state.

The choice of equipment may vary according to the time of year, the body of water, the kind of fish targeted, and the efficiency of the equipment based on certain accepted standards. Numerous works have been carried out on the fishing gears, practices and cultural aspects of fisher folk by different authors across India;  some authors have studied various aspects of fishing gears in different parts of Assam.^11-17 Different workers have studied the community fishing and economic aspects of fishermen communities in Assam.^18-21

A thorough survey was conducted to focus on the various types of fishing equipment used for fishing in Borsola beel with all of these factors in mind.  Objectives of this  current study were to catalogue the various fishing techniques employed by the Kaibarta  population in Borsola beel and to investigate the frequency of occurrence of different fish species there.

Materials and Methods

The Borsola wetland (Open  beel), which is about 5 kilometres to the northeast of Jorhat town in Assam, is situated in the geographic coordinates 26.048 ̊ N-26.049 ̊ N and 94.008 ̊ E-94.010 ̊ E. Fisherman collected the fish samples from the study area from 2021 to 2022. Moreover, fish were gathered from the fish landing spots. For further research, collected specimens were stored in a 5% formaldehyde solution. The fish species were identified in accordance with accepted literature. ^22-23 Fishermen were asked  about the features of the gears they used, their mode of operation and the kinds of fish they catch.

Results and Discussion

This study found the presence of 60 fish species from 20 families in different wetlands of Nimati , Jorhat, Assam. Several different types of gears to catch fish have been documented

during the research period.  Different indigenous fishing gears, their charachteristics and type of fish they catch etc. are mentioned in  Table 1.Scientific name, local name, family and their conservation status are mentioned in Table 2.

Berjal

It is a big rectangular seine net, and the term “tanaber” also refers to the surrounding net. The net is closed in a semicircle, using the coast as its foundation, and is slowly pulled in at each end to raise it onto the ground. After the boat detects the net, it travels towards coast. The catch is then gathered at the centre of the net once the net has been brought up. Berjal needs 10-15 persons and 7 to 4 boats to operate. The majority of the catch composition is made up of species such Wallago attu, Rita rita etc.

Gheko

It is a fishing device generally constructed in the outlet of the wetland to the nearby river. It is mainly made up of “banas”( bamboo). Before winter, fishes go out of the wetland through the feeding channel and they are caught while entering this device .

Phansijal

A typical gill net called a phansijal is smaller than a langijal. Additionally, it has a rectangular form and is composed of lightweight materials like nylon or hemp. This net is controlled by connecting it to a support (often bamboo) at one end of the river, and a rope is fastened to the other side.

Cast Net(Khewali jal)

Khewali jal, a cast net, is the most common type of gear in the study area. It is a conical cast net with an 8–15 mm mesh size, measuring 2–2.5 metres in length. The cone’s bottom circular border is doubled and ranges in height from 30 to 50 cm. The cone’s tip has a rope tied to it. The fisherman’s right hand held the folded net while his left held the rope’s end. Typically, all fish species are captured with this net.

Ghat Jal

It is made of triangular net fitted in a bamboo frame. The wide mouth side of the net is placed in the flowing water body opposite to water current. Fishes enter the net and they are caught in large number by dragging it up by weigh of the fisherman and kept alive in cage made by net.  

Line and Hooks

Different types of lines and hooks are used to catch medium to big sized fishes which are as follows:

Sip boroshi

It is made of bamboo, which is frequently longer than 6 metres. A nylon line with a hook and a grasshopper or earthworm or small forage fish as bait is fastened to the tip of the bamboo. This type of hooks is used to catch small and indigenous fishes.

Nal boroshi

In this type a short line is attached with a floating piece of Nal(a hollow stem of riverine grass).In the other end a small live fish is attached to the hook and released to open lentic water bodies at night. Mostly Channa species are caught by this method.

Dham boroshi

Here many hooks with small pieces of lines are attached to a long rope and kept in suitable water bodies during night hours. Many fishes are hooked in this process.

Uvoti

It is constructed with thin bamboo sticks  and placed with baits for trapping carnivorous Fishes. Mostly clarius species are caught in this process.

Polojal

Made up of triangular net fitted in a  bamboo frame. Large sized fish of the species Labeo, Channa mauralius etc. are caught.

Table 1: Types of fish caught by the Gears and the production price.

Table 2: Diversity of Fishes in Borsola Beel

Figure 1: Uvoti   Click here to view Figure

Figure 2: Ghat Jal   Click here to view Figure

Figure 3: Ghat jal              Click here to view Figure

Figure 4: Gheko   Click here to view Figure

Figure 5: Gheko   Click here to view Figure

Figure 6: Gheko   Click here to view Figure

Conclusion

In the present study, it has been found that the quantity of fishes caught in every gear has been decreasing resulting over exploitation of wetlands. Indiscriminate catching of fishes violating fishing laws results in lesser production in the successive years. For conservation of indigenous fish species and the traditional gears indiscriminate fish catching during breeding season must be banned.

According to the current study, fish are caught in the study region using  different types of fishing equipment. The majority of people living in the study region depend primarily on agriculture and fishing for their livelihood, and traditional fishing gear plays a significant role in preserving their way of life.

Acknowledgement

Authors would like to thanks the fishermen of Borsola Beel ,Jorhat for sharing their knowledge about the fishing gears and helping us in collecting different fish species.

Conflict of Interest

There is no conflict of interest.

Funding Source

There is no funding sources.

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Abbreviations

LC: Least Concern, EX-NA : Not applicable, DD : Data deficient, VU: Vulnerable, EX : Extinct.