​Assessment of Fecundity and Its Relation with Body Parameters of Common Carp, [Cyprinus carpio (var.) communis] in Dal Lake, Kashmir

Background: Fecundity is an important parameter in fisheries that predicts the reproductive capability of fish stock. Information on the fecundity of Common carp is helpful in estimating the amount of offspring produced in spawning season, which is essential for the stock assessment of the species. Assessment of the fecundity of a fish is essential for evaluating the commercial potentialities of its stock, life history, practical culture and actual management of the fishery. Common carp is a commercially important fish which has the potential to meet the demand of food in the country. Scanty of data is available on fecundity parameter of common carp in Kashmir waters. Therefore, this research work aims to estimate the fecundity of Common carp collected from the Dal lake of Kashmir. Methods: The present study aims to estimate the fecundity of Common carp, [Cyprinus carpio var. communis] existing in Dal Lake, Kashmir. The 30 fish samples were collected once every month from the month of January 2018 to December 2018. Fishes were brought to Fisheries Resource Management (FRM), Faculty of Fisheries, SKUAST-K Laboratory for the estimation of total length, weight of fishes and weight of ovaries. Gravimetric and actual counting method was used for the estimation of fecundity. Result: It was observed that the number of eggs varied from 16650 (for a fish with total length 180mm and total weight 120 g) to 129000 (for a fish with total length 430 mm and total weight 1300 g. The mean absolute fecundity was recorded as 68864.07± 6563.59 for a fish with a mean total length of 301.43 ± 13.93 mm and mean total weight of 435.1 ± 66.51 g. The relative fecundity ranged from 99.2-240.8 and the mean relative fecundity was 185.96. Significant positive correlation was found between fish weight and absolute fecundity. (r= 0.907, p less than 0.01), fish length and absolute fecundity (r= 0.976, p less than 0.01), Ovary weight and absolute fecundity (r= 0.998, p less than 0.01). Relative fecundity showed a significant negative correlation with weight, length and absolute fecundity (r= -0.747, p less than 0.01; r= -0.419, p less than 0.05 and r= -0.460, p less than 0.05 respectively.

Recreational benefits of wetlands: a survey on the Dal Lake in Jammu and Kashmir of India

PurposeA wetland is a place of tourist attraction, and tourism values play a key role in economic development. Among various services provided by a wetland, recreational services are increasingly valuable in the tourism sector. This paper aims to unfold the potential recreational values of the Dal Lake in Jammu and Kashmir, India.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses individual travel cost methods (TCMs) and assesses its impact on regional development in terms of income and employment generation. A sample of 200 tourists is selected through an on-site survey on Dal Lake, and the demand for recreational visits and its value is estimated by employing the truncated Poisson regression model (TPRM) and un-truncated Poisson regression model (UTPRM). The consumers' surplus is estimated and tourists' benefit to visiting the wetland is explored.FindingsOn average, estimated consumers' surplus per visitor is Rs 6,250 (US$96.15) and Rs 25,000 (US$384.61) from respective models. The annual total recreational value of the lake is accounted for Rs 1713m (US$ 26m). This high consumer surplus (CS) and recreational values of the lake indicate large demand for its recreational facilities.Originality/valueThe study is based on primary data and thus, is original. The paper has implications for the policymakers to formulate sustainable management plans for the proper use of Dal Lake and tourism development.

Length-weight relationship, morphometric characters, and meristic counts of the coldwater fish Crossocheilus diplochilus (Heckel) from Dal Lake

Morphometric and meristic characters are very important for the identification of any fish specimen. The present study aims to describe the morphometric and meristic characters of the indigenous fish Crossocheilus diplochilus (Heckel) from Dal Lake. This fish is commonly known as Kashmir latia and is called tether locally. In the present study, the material analyzed was 70 specimens ranging in size from 6.9–13 cm (TL) with a mean length of 10.8 cm and a weight range of 3.2–24.0 g with a mean weight of 10.1 g. The parameters with the highest correlations with total length were standard length and fork length at 0.983 and 0.989, respectively. Correlation analysis showed that all morphometric characters changed proportionally as total length increased. The meristic counts analyzed in the present study remained constant in fish of different sizes indicating that they are independent of body size. The study of morphometric characters is very important to determine the growth rate of these fish, which, in turn, is required to properly manage its populations.

Efficiency of Sequential Batch Reactor (SBR) based sewage treatment plant and its discharge impact on Dal Lake, Jammu & Kashmir, India

Dal Lake is the second largest and most beautiful Lake in the state of Jammu and Kashmir and is the major centre of tourist activities. Due to the continuous increase in the population, the generation of domestic wastewater also increased. The present study was carried out to assess the efficiency of Sequential Batch Reactor (SBR) based Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) located at Brari Numbal and its discharge impact on the physicochemical properties of Dal Lake. The sample was collected from the selected sampling sites (inlet and outlet of SBR based STP, upstream, confluence zone, and downstream of Dal Lake) for five months (November 2019 to March 2020) and analysed using the standard methodologies. The plant shows maximum removal efficiency for BOD (79.85%) although the effluent BOD was found above the standard limit. The minimum removal efficiency of the plant was observed in the case of pH (3.46%). The gain in the case of DO was observed +851.55%. All the sites of Dal Lake were found polluted but the confluence zone and downstream were more polluted in comparison to the upstream due to the discharge of STP outlet into Dal Lake with higher BOD and COD (21.39% increase in BOD, 43.29% increase in COD; 80.10% increase in iron, 65.61% increase in ammonical nitrogen, and 101% increase in phosphate concentration). Besides this, discharge of the huge quantity of untreated wastewater from the city into the lake is also responsible for the degraded water quality of Dal Lake. It can be concluded that efficiency of the plant was in moderate condition and it needs further modifications. This is the first study showing the impact of SBR-STP effluent on Dal Lake.