Vembanad fish (https://www.vembanad.org/vembanad-fish-count) count is an annual participatory fish monitoring program conducted by ATREE-CERC in association with the University of Kerala, KUFOS and the Department of Fisheries, Alappuzha. This activity intends to enumerate and evaluate the changes and diversity of the fish population in Vembanad. apart from fish monitoring, this two-day event, includes seminars, workshops, and many outreach and awareness activities. This year we plan to organise a seminar, painting /essay competition for children etc. on fish migration with a special reference to the dwindling population of giant freshwater lobster Macrobrachium rosenbergii which is an important fishery resource of Vembanad.
Additional Details
Name of contact person - Priyadarsanan Dharma Rajan
Country - India
Organizer
https://www.atree.org/
Venue
The Vembanad estuarine system in Kerala, a designated Ramsar site, is one of the most beautiful and largest humid tropical wetland ecosystems in the south-west coast of India. The veritable presence of numerous canals and streams along with the legendary backwaters, the never-ending panorama of lush green paddy fields, towering coconut trees and thriving birdlife make it a delightful destination for tourism. This unique backwater with a surface area of 36,500 ha spreads across three districts of the state – Alappuzha, Kottayam and Ernakulam. 1.6 million people depend on the lake and its natural ecosystem for their livelihood. Kuttanad region, the southern portion of the Vembanad Wetlands, has developed a unique system of below sea level farming which is declared a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS). The six major rivers originating in the Western Ghats – Manimala, Achankovil, Pampa, Periyar, Meenachil and Moovattupuzhayar drain into Vembanad – making it an ‘inland fish basket’ of Kerala. Eventually, this unique wetland had been subjected to intense human interventions for agriculture and developmental activities.
