World Aquaculture Magazine - September 2021

64 SEP TEMBER 2021 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WA S .ORG infrastructure in such open- access natural resources. Other impediments to fisheries infrastructure development are poor financial capacity of lease holders and a lack of government programs. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) - Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute (CIFRI), Barrackpore has been working on the ecology of wetlands and the rational management and development of inland fisheries for the last several decades (Sugunan and Bhattacharjya 2000, Sugunan et al . 2000). The experience and expertise of CIFRI was used for pilot demonstration of a development module with funding support from the National Fisheries Development Board. The project aimed for integrated fisheries development in selected oxbow lakes of Bihar to enhance fish yield and the livelihoods of fishers, strengthening infrastructure, linkages and institutional arrangements. Oxbow Lakes Targeted for Project Interventions The wetlands in Bihar are experiencing low fish yield due to failure of self-recruitment and self-stocking of seed from depletion of riverine fish stocks and shrinkage of link channels, resulting in a yield gap. In addition, large carnivores, especially wallago catfish Wallago attu and snakehead Channa marulius , found abundantly in these wetlands preying on small fry and fingerlings of commercially important carp species, is another cause for low yield. The State of Bihar has an estimated 9000 ha of oxbow lakes, locally known as mauns . The mauns selected for fisheries development were Majharia (100 ha), Kararia (100 ha), Rulhi (80 ha) and Sirsa (70 ha) of East Champaran district of Bihar, which supports the livelihoods of more than 600 fisher families. Majharia (26˚33’23.8” N, 84˚56’01.6” E) is located 6 km south of Motihari and is a typical U-shaped oxbow lake. The maun has O xbow lakes render multiple ecosystem goods and services to society, providing food, fuel, fodder and microclimate regulation, benefitting local communities. Fisheries exploitation of floodplain lakes by the resource poor for food security is very common on the Indian sub-continent. India has substantial fisheries resources in the form of oxbow lakes, natural flat or bowl-shaped depressions between levees in floodplains of major rivers, such as the Ganges, Brahmaputra, Mahanadi, Teesta and Imphal. Perennial oxbow lakes offer many possibilities for fisheries management and development. Of late, fish biomass and biodiversity of oxbow lakes are declining due to resource shrinkage through encroachment, changes in morphometry and eutrophication (Das Sarkar et al. 2020). Changes in morphometry, especially loss of depth due to siltation, and closure of linking channels have resulted in reduced water volume and failure of self-recruitment by riverine fishes. These factors have contributed to low fish yield, affecting the livelihoods of fishers dependent on these resources. The scientific management of fisheries for development and sustainability needs coordinated interventions among stakeholders. Despite the immense breadth and potential for fish production in oxbow lakes, that potential has not yet been realized in eastern India (Hassan et al . 2016). Insufficient access to scientific knowledge and technologies, poor fisheries infrastructure, weak financial capacity, lack of a co-operative approach, poor linkages between line departments and user groups and disorganized institutional arrangements pose challenges in achieving potential (Sarkar and Mishal 2017). There is a general lack of knowledge and understanding among stakeholders about the role and effectiveness of various technologies and the value of infrastructure for fisheries development. Moreover, the tenural nature of lease arrangement is responsible for the lack of Fisheries Enhancement through Participatory Technological Interventions in Oxbow Lakes of Eastern India: A Success Story M.A. Hassan, B.K. Das, P. Mishal, G. Karnatak and Suman Kumari Maps showing the oxbow lakes involved in the project.