Vembanad fish count on May 31

ALAPPUZHA: The third annual fish count in the Vembanad Lake, a participatory fishery resource inventory and monitoring process initiated by the Bangalore-based Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), will be held on May 31.

According to a press release, the Vembanad wetlands, which fosters high biodiversity and substantially supports rural livelihoods, has its environmental conditions in steady decline due to various human activities, which in turn has led to a crisis in livelihoods for dependent communities.

Depletion of fishery resources has changed this �inland fish basket into an �inland waste basket, driving the fishing community, the primary stakeholder of the lake to a livelihood crisis.

The fish count is being conducted with the intention of regaining the participatory methods in lake management and to enhance cooperation between various stakeholders, Government departments, non-governmental organizations and academic institutions and to create awareness about the state of fishery resources of the lake, the release said.