FISHING CAT CENSUS IN CHILIKA LAKE
KEY POINTS-
• The status of many wetland species remains understudied and highly threatened.
• Tracking specialist species like the fishing cat gives an indication of what might be happening to these ecosystems, which safeguards against climate change and droughts.
• The Chilika Lake, Asia’s largest brackish water lagoon, has 176 fishing cats, as per a census conducted by Chilika Development Authority (CDA) in collaboration with The Fishing Cat Project(TFCP).
• According to CDA, the estimation was conducted in two phases.
Phase-1: It was conducted in 2012 in the115 sq. km marshland present in the north and north-eastern section of Chilika and its surrounding areas.
Phase-2: It was conducted in 2022 on the Parikud side along with the coastal islands of Chilika.
• A total of 150 camera traps were deployed in two phases with each fixed in the field for 30 days.
• Spatially Explicit Capture-Recapture(SECR) method was used to analyze the data.
FISHING CATS-
• The fishing cat- Prionailurus viverrinus, is a medium-sized wild cat of south and southeast Asia.
• Since 2016, it is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN red list.
• They are threatened by the destruction of wetlands for agriculture, and pollution.
• Fishing cats are globally threatened, which occur in wetlands like marshlands, mangroves and flooded forests.
• They are found in 10 Asian countries but have remained undetected in Vietnam and Java for the last decade.
• The conservation of mangrove forests to commercial aquaculture ponds is a major threat in Andhra Pradesh.
• In West Bengal’s Howrah district, 27 dead fishing cats were recorded between April 2010 and May 2011.
• In Bangladesh, at least 30 fishing cats were killed by local people in 3 years from 2010 -to 2013.
• The status of many wetland species remains understudied and highly threatened.
• Tracking specialist species like the fishing cat gives an indication of what might be happening to these ecosystems, which safeguards against climate change and droughts.
• The Chilika Lake, Asia’s largest brackish water lagoon, has 176 fishing cats, as per a census conducted by Chilika Development Authority (CDA) in collaboration with The Fishing Cat Project(TFCP).
• According to CDA, the estimation was conducted in two phases.
Phase-1: It was conducted in 2012 in the115 sq. km marshland present in the north and north-eastern section of Chilika and its surrounding areas.
Phase-2: It was conducted in 2022 on the Parikud side along with the coastal islands of Chilika.
• A total of 150 camera traps were deployed in two phases with each fixed in the field for 30 days.
• Spatially Explicit Capture-Recapture(SECR) method was used to analyze the data.
FISHING CATS-
• The fishing cat- Prionailurus viverrinus, is a medium-sized wild cat of south and southeast Asia.
• Since 2016, it is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN red list.
• They are threatened by the destruction of wetlands for agriculture, and pollution.
• Fishing cats are globally threatened, which occur in wetlands like marshlands, mangroves and flooded forests.
• They are found in 10 Asian countries but have remained undetected in Vietnam and Java for the last decade.
• The conservation of mangrove forests to commercial aquaculture ponds is a major threat in Andhra Pradesh.
• In West Bengal’s Howrah district, 27 dead fishing cats were recorded between April 2010 and May 2011.
• In Bangladesh, at least 30 fishing cats were killed by local people in 3 years from 2010 -to 2013.
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CONSERVATION OF FISHING CAT-
• Prionailurus viverrinus, is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN list and protected by national legislation.
• Hunting is prohibited in Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.
• Its survival depends on the protection of wetlands, and the prevention of indiscriminate trapping, snaring and poisoning.
• In coastal Andhra Pradesh, NGOs are working to slow habitat conservation in collaboration with local villagers.
• Fishing cat captive breeding programs were established by the European Association of zoos and aquaria and the American Association of zoos and aquariums.
CHILIKA LAKE-
• Chilika lake is a brackish water lagoon, spread over Puri, Ganjam district of Odisha state on the east coast of India, at the mouth of Daya River, flowing into the Bay of Bengal.
• This is the largest coastal lagoon in India and the largest brackish water lagoon in the world.
• It has been listed as a tentative UNESCO World Heritage site.
• It is the largest saltwater lake in India.
• This lake is an ecosystem with large fishery resources.
• The lagoon hosts over 160 species of birds in the peak migratory species.
• In 1981, Chilika lake was designated as the first Indian wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.
Some of the threats to the lake include-
• Siltation due to littoral drift and sediments from inland river systems.
• Shrinkage of water surface area.
• Decrease in salinity and fishery resources.
• Proliferation of freshwater invasive species.
By 1993, the problems in Chilika lake were so severe that the lake was put under “ the Montreux Record” as the lake was considered to have undergone, to be undergoing, to undergo a change in its ecological character brought about by human action.
• Chilika lake is a brackish water lagoon, spread over Puri, Ganjam district of Odisha state on the east coast of India, at the mouth of Daya River, flowing into the Bay of Bengal.
• This is the largest coastal lagoon in India and the largest brackish water lagoon in the world.
• It has been listed as a tentative UNESCO World Heritage site.
• It is the largest saltwater lake in India.
• This lake is an ecosystem with large fishery resources.
• The lagoon hosts over 160 species of birds in the peak migratory species.
• In 1981, Chilika lake was designated as the first Indian wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.
Some of the threats to the lake include-
• Siltation due to littoral drift and sediments from inland river systems.
• Shrinkage of water surface area.
• Decrease in salinity and fishery resources.
• Proliferation of freshwater invasive species.
By 1993, the problems in Chilika lake were so severe that the lake was put under “ the Montreux Record” as the lake was considered to have undergone, to be undergoing, to undergo a change in its ecological character brought about by human action.
