1. The tagging exercise aims to enhance understanding of species’ seasonal and migratory patterns, range, distribution, and habitat utilization, especially in fragmented or disturbed river systems, as stated in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change press release.
2. The Gangetic river system is home to a vast variety of aquatic life, including the Gangetic dolphin. The Gangetic dolphin is one of five species of river dolphin found around the world. It is found mainly in the Indian subcontinent, particularly in Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Karnaphuli-Sangu river systems.
3. Notably, there are approx 40 extant species across multiple families that are referred to as dolphins. The family Platanistidae comprises two extant species of Indian river dolphins — the Indus river dolphin and the Ganges river dolphin, both of which were considered to be the same species till the 1970s.
4. The Conservation Action Plan for the Ganges River Dolphin, 2010-2020, describes male Gangetic dolphins as being about 2-2.2 metres long, and females as a little longer at 2.4-2.6 m. An adult dolphin could weigh between 70 kg and 90 kg. They feed on several species of fishes, invertebrates, etc.
5. Ganges river dolphins are often found alone or in small groups and are known to be extremely shy around boats, which makes it difficult for scientists to observe them.
6. They are referred to by various local names across their range, including susu, soons, soans, or soos in Hindi; shushuk in Bengali; hiho or hihu in Assamese; and bhagirath, shus, or suongsu in Nepali. Culturally, this species is often associated with the Ganga River and is occasionally depicted as the vahana (vehicle) of Goddess Ganga.
Conservation Status & Efforts
1. Both the Indus and Ganges dolphins have been listed as ‘Endangered’ in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List since the 1990s. This classification indicates that the species has “a very high risk of becoming extinct in the wild”.
2. After the launch of Ganga Action Plan in 1985, the government in 1986 included Gangetic dolphins in the First Schedule of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. This was aimed at checking hunting and providing conservation facilities such as wildlife sanctuaries for the species. For instance, the Vikramshila Ganges Dolphin Sanctuary was established in Bihar under this Act.
3. Project Dolphin is the latest effort to aid the conservation of Ganges River Dolphin, and it was launched by Prime Minister in 2020. The latest dolphin tagging exercise is among the many initiatives made under the project, which according to its website “involves a systematic status monitoring of the target species and their potential threats, in order to develop and implement a conservation action plan.”
BEYOND THE NUGGET: Rangeen Machhli App, PM Matsya Sampada Yojana, PM-MKSSY
1. The “Rangeen Machhli” mobile app was recently launched by the Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying. The app aims to meet the increasing demands of the ornamental fisheries sector by Providing valuable knowledge resources for hobbyists, aquarium shop owners, and fish farmers.
2. The “Rangeen Machhli” app is developed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture (ICAR-CIFA) with support from the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana.
3. The app provides information on popular ornamental fish species in eight Indian languages, ensuring accessibility to a wide audience. It also provides comprehensive details on care, breeding, and maintenance practices.
4. The “Find Aquarium Shops” tool is one of the key features of the app. It enables users to locate nearby aquarium shops through a dynamic directory that is updated by shop owners. This helps promote local businesses and connects users with reliable sources for ornamental fish and aquarium-related products.
5. The app also provides educational modules for both newcomers and professionals in the ornamental fish industry. It includes:
(i) Basics of Aquarium Care Module: It covers various topics such as fishes, types of aquariums, water filtration, lighting, feeding, and day-to-day maintenance.
(ii) Ornamental Aquaculture Module: It focuses on breeding and rearing different ornamental fish.
6. India has over 195 indigenous ornamental fish varieties in the North-East Region and Western Ghats and nearly 400 species from marine ecosystems.
7. The majority of ornamental fish exported from India are wild varieties primarily collected from the rivers of the Southern and North-East States, contributing about 85% of the country’s total ornamental fish exports.
8. Around 90% of India’s ornamental fish trade is focused on freshwater species, with the remaining 10% involving marine species. The most popular species among hobbyists is the goldfish, leading to its breeding dominating the Indian ornamental fish sector.
9. Fisheries is a rapidly growing sector that plays a vital role in the country’s economic development. Referred to as the “sunrise sector,” it has the potential for significant inclusive growth.
PM Matsya Sampada Yojana
1. ‘Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY)’ was launched on 10th September, 2020 to bring ‘Blue Revolution’ through sustainable and responsible development of fisheries sector in India. It focuses on the ecologically healthy, economically viable, and socially inclusive development of the Fisheries sector of India.
2. The Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India is implementing PMMSY.
3. PMMSY is designed to address critical gaps in the fisheries value chain from fish production, productivity and quality to technology, post-harvest infrastructure and marketing. It aims to modernize and strengthen the value chain, enhance traceability and establish a robust fisheries management framework while simultaneously ensuring the socio-economic welfare of fishers and fish farmers.
4. PMMSY provides support for various fishing activities, including the development of fishing harbors and fish landing centers to ensure the safe docking and berthing of fishing boats and vessels, as well as the efficient handling of post-harvest operations. Additionally, it promotes the establishment of ornamental fish-rearing units, fish retail markets, and fish kiosks.
Pradhan Mantri Matsya Kisan Samridhi Sah-Yojana (PM-MKSSY)
The PM-MKSSY is a central sector sub-scheme under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada for the formalisation of the fisheries sector and supporting fisheries micro and small enterprises.
(Sources: UPSC Essentials: Aquaculture, Why the first-ever satellite tagging of a Ganges dolphin is significant, PIB, pmmsy.dof.gov)
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The government had declared the Ganga River Dolphin ‘the National Aquatic Animal’ in the first meeting of the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) on October 5, 2009. (Source: Wikimedia commons) 
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