Kashmir - Alligator Gar Fish found in Dal Lake - Video
Scientists and officials are alarmed by the discovery of a carnivorous Alligator Gar fish in Kashmir's famous Dal Lake because its existence poses a serious threat to the native fish species. In the renowned lake, a ray-finned euryhaline fish with an alligator-like mouth was discovered while the lake was being deweeded.
This fish, an alligator gar, is often found in North America and select regions of India, including the upper lake in bhopal and the backwaters of Kerala. Being a carnivore and a predator fish, it threatens Dal Lake's natural species, according to Dr. Shafeeqa Peer, a scientist with the Lake Conservation and Management Authority (LCMA). Peer expressed concern on how this fish got into Kashmir's water supply system.
What will happen to our native fish species? It has been outlawed in several regions because it thrives on other little fish, such as Bhopal. We have not yet encountered this kind of creature here, and it threatens other species, she continued. Peer stated that in order to search for any additional Alligator Gar fish in the lake, the LCMA has now partnered with the Department of Fisheries and Fisheries division of Sher-e-Kashmir university of Agricultural Sciences and technology (SKUAST).
"We'll start a major search to see if it's only one fish, if it happened accidentally, or if someone misbehaved. There are many unanswered questions, particularly in terms of ecology and biodiversity, Peer noted.
"We'll start a major search to see if it's only one fish, if it happened accidentally, or if someone misbehaved. There are many unanswered questions, particularly in terms of ecology and biodiversity, Peer noted.