Golden mahseer (Tor putitora) Babai River

Mahseer is the

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contrast ...

used for the

genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...

Tor Tor, TOR or ToR may refer to: Places * Tor, Pallars, a village in Spain * Tor, former name of Sloviansk, Ukraine, a city * Mount Tor, Tasmania, Australia, an extinct volcano * Tor Bay, Devon, England * Tor River, Western New Guinea, Indonesia Sc ...

'', ''

Neolissochilus ''Neolissochilus'' is a genus of fish in the family Cyprinidae native to freshwater habitats in Asia that are often grouped with the mahseers. The largest reach up to in length, but most species are much smaller. Species There are currently 28 ...

'', '' Naziritor'' and '' Parator'' in the family

Cyprinidae Cyprinidae is a family of freshwater fish commonly called the carp or minnow family. It includes the carps, the true minnows, and relatives like the barbs and barbels. Cyprinidae is the largest and most diverse fish family and the largest verte ...

(carps). The name is, however, more often restricted to members of the genus ''Tor''.Sen TK, Jayaram KC, 1982. The Mahseer Fish of India – a Review. Rec. Zoological Survey of India. Misc. Publ. Occasional Paper 39, 38p. The range of these fish is from

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

in the east and

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

in the north, through

Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

, Brunei and

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

, and across southern Asia including the countries of India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh within the

Indian Peninsula The Indian subcontinent is a physiographical region in Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian Ocean from the Himalayas. Geopolitically, it includes the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India ...

, plus

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

and

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

.Menon AGK, 1992. Taxonomy of mahseer fishes of the genus ''Tor'' Gray with description of a new species from the Deccan. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 89 (2):210–228 They are commercially important

game fish Game fish, sport fish or quarry refer to popular fish pursued by recreational anglers, and can be freshwater or saltwater fish. Game fish can be eaten after being caught, or released after capture. Some game fish are also targeted commerciall ...

, as well as highly esteemed

food fish Food is any substance consumed by an organism for nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or fungal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is ingest ...

. Mahseer fetch high market price, and are potential candidate species for

aquaculture Aquaculture (less commonly spelled aquiculture), also known as aquafarming, is the controlled cultivation ("farming") of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, mollusks, algae and other organisms of value such as aquatic plants (e.g. lot ...

.Ogale, S.N. 2002 Mahseer breeding and conservation and possibilities of commercial culture. The Indian experience. In T. Petr and D.B. Swar (eds.) Cold Water Fisheries in the Trans-Himalayan Countries. FAO Fish. Tech. Pap. 431. Several of the larger species have suffered severe declines, and are now considered

threatened Threatened species are any species (including animals, plants and fungi) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future. Species that are threatened are sometimes characterised by the population dynamics measure of ''critical depensat ...

due to

pollution Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse change. Pollution can take the form of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or energy (such as radioactivity, heat, sound, or light). Pollutants, the ...

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

overfishing Overfishing is the removal of a species of fish (i.e. fishing) from a body of water at a rate greater than that the species can replenish its population naturally (i.e. the overexploitation of the fishery's existing fish stock), resulting in th ...

and increasing concern about the impacts of unregulated release of artificially bred stock of a very limited number of species. The

taxonomy Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification. A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...

of the mahseers is confusing due to the morphological variations they exhibit. In developing strategies for aquaculture and propagation assisted rehabilitation of mahseer species, resolution of taxonomic ambiguities is needed and adherence to IUCN stocking guidelines must be followed. Mahseers inhabit both rivers and lakes, with some species believed to ascend into rapid streams with rocky bottoms for breeding. Like other types of

carp Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish from the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. While carp is consumed in many parts of the world, they are generally considered an invasive species in parts of ...

s, they are

omnivorous An omnivore () is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize the nutri ...

, eating not only

algae Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal term for a large and diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. It is a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from unicellular mic ...

crustacean Crustaceans (Crustacea, ) form a large, diverse arthropod taxon which includes such animals as decapods, seed shrimp, branchiopods, fish lice, krill, remipedes, isopods, barnacles, copepods, amphipods and mantis shrimp. The crustacean group ...

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs ...

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely Carnivore, carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order (biology), order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-f ...

s, and other fish, but also fruits that fall from trees overhead. The first species from this group were

scientifically described A species description is a formal description of a newly discovered species, usually in the form of a scientific paper. Its purpose is to give a clear description of a new species of organism and explain how it differs from species that have be ...

Francis Buchanan-Hamilton Francis Buchanan (15 February 1762 – 15 June 1829), later known as Francis Hamilton but often referred to as Francis Buchanan-Hamilton, was a Scottish physician who made significant contributions as a geographer, zoologist, and botanist whil ...

in 1822, and first mentioned as an

angling Angling is a fishing technique that uses a fish hook or "angle" (from Old English ''angol'') attached to a fishing line to tether individual fish in the mouth. The fishing line is usually manipulated via a fishing rod, although rodless techniqu ...

challenge by the '' Oriental Sporting Magazine'' in 1833, soon becoming a favorite quarry of

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

anglers living in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

.
The

golden mahseer ''Tor putitora'', the Putitor mahseer, Himalayan mahseer, or golden mahseer, is an endangered species of cyprinid fish that is found in rapid streams, riverine pools, and lakes in the Himalayan region. Its native range is within the basins of th ...

Tor putitora ''Tor putitora'', the Putitor mahseer, Himalayan mahseer, or golden mahseer, is an endangered species of cyprinid fish that is found in rapid streams, riverine pools, and lakes in the Himalayan region. Its native range is within the basins of th ...

'' was previously believed to be the largest member of the group and one of the largest cyprinids; it has been known to reach in length and in weight, although specimens of this size are rarely seen nowadays.
Currently, the largest of the mahseer is ''

Tor remadevii ''Tor remadevii'', the orange-finned mahseer, also known as the hump-backed mahseer, is a critically endangered species of freshwater fish endemic to the Western Ghats of India. It is restricted to the Kaveri river basin. It can be distingui ...

'', which is known to grow to in excess of 120lb. In 2011, UK angler Ken Loughran landed a fish that was too heavy for the 120lb scales being used. This fish was claimed as a 'World record' at 130lb 10oz, although the weighing process used is in doubt. In addition to being caught for

sport Sport pertains to any form of Competition, competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and Skill, skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to specta ...

, mahseer are also part of

commercial fishing Commercial fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for commercial profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice it as an industry must often ...

and ornamental or aquarium fish.

Etymology

The

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

and Kumaoni name of ''mahāsir, mahāser'', or ''mahāsaulā ''is used for a number of fishes of the group. Several sources of the

''mahseer'' have been suggested: It has been said to be derived from

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

, while others claim it is derived from

Indo-Persian Indo-Persian culture refers to a cultural synthesis present in the Indian subcontinent. It is characterised by the absorption or integration of Persian aspects into the various cultures of Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. The earliest introductio ...

, ''mahi''- fish and ''sher''- tiger or "tiger among fish" in

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

. Alternatively, ''mahā-śalka'', meaning large-scaled, is suggested, as the scales are so large that Francis Buchanan mentions that playing cards were made from them at

Dacca Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city i ...

. Another theory by

Henry Sullivan Thomas Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) *Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

suggests ''mahā-āsya'': ''great mouth.'' The name'' mahasher ''is commonly used in

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

Punjabi, and

Kashmiri Kashmiri may refer to: * People or things related to the Kashmir Valley or the broader region of Kashmir * Kashmiris, an ethnic group native to the Kashmir Valley * Kashmiri language, their language People with the name * Kashmiri Saikia Baruah ...

languages in

for this fish and is said to be made up of two local words: ''maha'' = big and ''sher'' =

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...

, as it ascends in the hilly rivers and streams of

Himalaya The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...

courageously. Sadhale and Nene translate the Sanskrit word mahashila, as used in some texts On fish in Manasollasa (c. 1131 AD) N Sadhale, YL Nene – Asian Agri-Hist, 2005 – asianagrihistory.org as "stone-like", interpreting that to mean a powerful fish.

Species

Sen and Jayaram restrict the term mahseer to members of the genus ''Tor''. However, the species of genus ''Neolissochilus'' and the genera ''Naziritor'' and ''Parator'' are also called mahseers due to their large-sized scales and other similarities.
Scientists now try to use the terms 'true mahseer' for species within ''Tor'', and 'lesser mahseers' for species within ''Neolissochilus'', ''Naziritor'' and ''Parator''.

Genus ''Tor''

The genus ''

'' includes: * '' Tor ater'', Roberts, 1999 * '' Tor barakae'', Arunkumar & Basudha, 2003, Barakae mahseer * ''

Tor douronensis ''Tor douronensis'', also known as ''Labeobarbus douronensis'', is a species of ray-finned fish of the family Cyprinidae in the genus '' Tor''. This Asian fresh water river carp can be discovered in southern Thailand, east to Vietnam and south ...

'', Valenciennes, 1842, ''Semah mahseer'' or river carp. Synonymous with

Tor tambra ''Tor tambra'', the Javan mahseer, is a species of mahseer native to Southeast Asia. Taxonomy Tor tambra is a typical mahseer, with Cyprinidae features, large scales and a large head comparative to body depth. It is usually longer and slimmer b ...

* ''

Tor hemispinus ''Tor hemispinus'' is a species of cyprinid of the genus '' Tor''. It inhabits Yunnan, China, is considered harmless to humans and has a maximum length among unsexed males of . Described in 1985, it has been classified as "data deficient" on the ...

'', Chen & Chu, 1985 * ''

Tor kulkarnii ''Tor kulkarnii'' (common name: dwarf mahseer) is a species of cyprinid of the genus '' Tor''. It inhabits mountain streams in India and has a maximum length among unsexed males of . It is classified as "data deficient" on the IUCN Red List T ...

'', Menon, 1992, dwarf mahseer, uncertain as only one specimen found till now * '' Tor khudree'', Sykes, 1839, black mahseer, Deccan mahseer, or blue-finned mahseer * ''

Tor laterivittatus ''Tor laterivittatus'' is a species of cyprinid of the genus '' Tor''. Described by Zhou and Cui in 1996, it inhabits the Mekong river basin in Laos and Yunnan, China. It is classified as "data deficient" on the IUCN Red List The Internation ...

'', Zhou & Cui, 1996 * '' Tor macrolepis'', Heckel, 1838, uncertain species * ''

Tor malabaricus ''Tor malabaricus'', the Malabar mahseer, is a fish, a species of mahseer native to southwestern India. Taxonomy This mahseer possesses many typical Cyprinidae features, with a slim, torpedo-shaped body, plus large head and scales, and four barb ...

'', Jerdon, 1849, Malabar mahseer * ''

Tor mosal Tor, TOR or ToR may refer to: Places * Tor, Pallars, a village in Spain * Tor, former name of Sloviansk, Ukraine, a city * Mount Tor, Tasmania, Australia, an extinct volcano * Tor Bay, Devon, England * Tor River, Western New Guinea, Indonesia S ...

'', Hamilton, 1822, copper mahseer * '' Tor mussullah'', Sykes, 1839, erroneously called humpback mahseer * '' Tor polylepis'', Zhou & Cui, 1996 * '' Tor progeneius'', McClelland, 1839, Jungha mahseer * ''

'', Hamilton, 1822, Himalayan mahseer or

* '' Tor qiaojiensis'', Wu, 1977 * ''

'', Madhusoodana & Radhakrishnan, 2007, orange-finned mahseer or hump-backed mahseer * '' Tor sinensis'', Wu, 1977, Chinese mahseer * '' Tor soro'', Valenciennes, 1842 now reassigned to '' Neolissochilus soroides'' * '' Tor streeteri'', Myers, 1927 * ''

'', Valenciennes, 1842, Javan mahseer, red mahseer (ikan kelah merah) * ''

Tor tambroides ''Tor tambroides'', known as empurau in Malay language, Malay, is a species of mahseer native to Southeast Asia. Taxonomy It has been suggested that the species represents a junior synonym of ''Tor tambra''. ''T. tambra'', ''T. tambroides'' and ...

'', Bleeker, 1854, Malayan mahsheer (erroneous), Sumatran mahseer * ''

Tor tor Tor, TOR or ToR may refer to: Places * Tor, Pallars, a village in Spain * Tor, former name of Sloviansk, Ukraine, a city * Mount Tor, Tasmania, Australia, an extinct volcano * Tor Bay, Devon, England * Tor River, Western New Guinea, Indonesia Sc ...

'', Hamilton, 1822, red-finned mahseer, short-gilled mahseer, or deep-bodied mahseer * '' Tor yingjiangensis'', Chen & Yang, 2004 * '' Tor yunnanensis'', (Wang, Zhuang & Gao, 1982)

Genus ''Neolissochilus''

The genus ''

'' includes: * '' Neolissochilus baoshanensis'', (Chen & Yang, 1999) * '' Neolissochilus benasi'', (Pellegrin & Chevey, 1936) * '' Neolissochilus blythii'', (Day, 1870) * '' Neolissochilus compressus'', (Day, 1870) * '' Neolissochilus dukai'', (Day, 1878) * '' Neolissochilus hendersoni'', (Herre, 1940) * '' Neolissochilus heterostomus'', (Chen & Yang, 1999) * '' Neolissochilus hexagonolepis'', (McClelland, 1839), chocolate mahseer * '' Neolissochilus hexastichus'', (McClelland, 1839), brown mahseer * '' Neolissochilus longipinnis'', (Weber & de Beaufort, 1916) * '' Neolissochilus namlenensis'', (Nguyen & Doan, 1969) * '' Neolissochilus nigrovittatus'', (Boulenger, 1893) * '' Neolissochilus paucisquamatus'', (Smith, 1945) * '' Neolissochilus soroides'', (Duncker, 1904) * '' Neolissochilus spinulosus'', (McClelland, 1845) * '' Neolissochilus stevensonii'', (Day, 1870) * '' Neolissochilus stracheyi'', (Day, 1871), blue mahseer * '' Neolissochilus subterraneus'', Vidthayanon & Kottelat, 2003 * '' Neolissochilus sumatranus'', (Weber & de Beaufort, 1916) * '' Neolissochilus theinemanni'', (Ahl, 1933) * '' Neolissochilus tweediei'', (Herre & Myers, 1937) junior synonym of Neolissochilus soroides * '' Neolissochilus vittatus'', (Smith, 1945) * '' Neolissochilus wynaadensis'', (Day, 1873), copper mahseer

Genus ''Naziritor''

The genus ''Naziritor'' includes: * ''

Naziritor zhobensis ''Naziritor zhobensis'', the Zhobi mahseer, is a species of cyprinid fish endemic to Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of coun ...

'', Mirza, 1967, Balochi mahseer *'' Naziritor chelynoides'', McClelland, 1839, Dark mahseer

Genus ''Parator''

The genus ''Parator'' includes: one single species * '' Parator zonatus'', Lin, 1935, Tri-lobed lip barbel

Historical references

Researchers working at sites from the Harappan era or

Indus Valley civilisation The Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC), also known as the Indus Civilisation was a Bronze Age civilisation in the northwestern regions of South Asia, lasting from 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE, and in its mature form 2600 BCE to 1900&n ...

, found collections of pottery decorated with fish motifs as well as fish bones left in midden pits. Hora describes his interpretation of each of the species depicted on the painted pots, which include most of the species common today in the Indus basin, including mahseer. During his work on the remains of fish bones, renowned ethnoarchaeologist Dr William R. Belcher discovered that while fish, including large species like Indian major carps and various catfish, comprised a substantial element of the diets of this 3300–1300 BCE civilisation, bones of mahseer were extremely rare. It has been suggested Pinder, A.C., Britton, J.R., Harrison, A.J. et al. Rev Fish Biol Fisheries (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11160-019-09566-y that this is the first known instance of mahseer being ‘revered’ or singled out from other fish species as ‘God’s fish’. During the later period of the

Chalukya dynasty The Chalukya dynasty () was a Classical Indian dynasty that ruled large parts of southern and central India between the 6th and the 12th centuries. During this period, they ruled as three related yet individual dynasties. The earliest dynast ...

, under the

Western Chalukya Empire The Western Chalukya Empire ruled most of the Deccan Plateau, western Deccan, South India, between the 10th and 12th centuries. This Kannada people, Kannadiga dynasty is sometimes called the ''Kalyani Chalukya'' after its regal capital at Kalya ...

, King

Someshvara III Someshvara III (; ) was a Western Chalukya king (also known as the Kalyani Chalukyas), the son and successor of Vikramaditya VI. He ascended the throne of the Western Chalukya Kingdom in 1126 CE, or 1127 CE. Someshvara III, the third king in t ...

describes fishing in the rivers and seas around his kingdom, which include many areas that are inhabited by the mahseer species

and Tor khudree. The king includes "mahashila", a "large river fish(es) of the scaly type." He then goes on to describe the best methods of

Angling Angling is a fishing technique that uses a fish hook or "angle" (from Old English ''angol'') attached to a fishing line to tether individual fish in the mouth. The fishing line is usually manipulated via a fishing rod, although rodless techniqu ...

for the various fish species to be encountered in his kingdom, including how to prepare baits for each. There is a further description of how to prepare the fish for cooking and eating. Many of the most detailed descriptions of mahseer begin to appear during the British colonisation of India, in particular, during the

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...

of 1857 to 1947. Many of those stationed in India enjoyed angling for mahseer, which they compared to the thrill of catching a salmon ‘back home’. Indeed, Henry Sullivan Thomas, author of one of the first books on angling in the colonies said "the mahseer shows more sport for its size than a salmon." They also produced guidebooks and penned letters to sporting journals such as '' The Field'' and ''Fishing Gazette''. H.S. Thomas also gives a description of south Indian followers of

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

equating mahseer with

Matsya Matsya ( sa, मत्स्य, lit. ''fish'') is the fish avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu. Often described as the first of Vishnu's ten primary avatars, Matsya is described to have rescued the first man, Manu, from a great deluge. Matsya ...

, one of the incarnations of the god

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...

and responsible for saving

Manu Manu may refer to: Geography * Manú Province, a province of Peru, in the Madre de Dios Region **Manú National Park, Peru ** Manú River, in southeastern Peru * Manu River (Tripura), which originates in India and flows into Bangladesh *Manu Tem ...

from the flood. This tale is common in many of the classic Hindu texts, with the first reference being in the

Shatapatha Brahmana The Shatapatha Brahmana ( sa, शतपथब्राह्मणम् , Śatapatha Brāhmaṇam, meaning 'Brāhmaṇa of one hundred paths', abbreviated to 'SB') is a commentary on the Śukla (white) Yajurveda. It is attributed to the Vedic ...

, part of the

Vedas upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''. The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the ...

body of works dated from 1500–400 BCE.

In heraldry (and other official representations)

Mahseer was an important symbol in the heraldry of certain Muslim-ruled former

princely states A princely state (also called native state or Indian state) was a nominally sovereign entity of the British Indian Empire that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule, subject to ...

of the

Subcontinent A continent is any of several large landmasses. Generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, up to seven geographical regions are commonly regarded as continents. Ordered from largest in area to smallest, these seven ...

such as

Baoni Kadaura is a town and a Nagar Panchayat in Jalaun District in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. During the British Raj, Kadaura was the capital of an 11-gun salute princely state. History During the British Raj era, Kadaura was the capital o ...

Bhopal Bhopal (; ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and the administrative headquarters of both Bhopal district and Bhopal division. It is known as the ''City of Lakes'' due to its various natural and artificial lakes. It i ...

Kurwai Kurwai is a town and a Nagar Panchayat in Vidisha district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. History The town of Kurwai was founded by mohm. Diler khan in 1715 of Kurwai State Kurwai was formerly a Muslim princely state of British India. ...

and Rampur.

Dost Mohammad Khan Dost Mohammad Khan Barakzai (Pashto/Persian: ; 23 December 17929 June 1863), nicknamed the Amir-i Kabir, Also titled Amir al-Mu'minin, was a member of the Barakzai dynasty and one of the prominent rulers of the Emirate of Afghanistan. His 37-year ...

's son Yar Mohammad received from Nizam-ul-Mulk the insignia of the ''Maha Muratib'' (the dignity of the Fish). The insignia became part of the Bhopal State's

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

. The Mahseer fish as an emblem of the highest honour in royalty is allegedly from

origin and was adopted by the courts of

Oudh The Oudh State (, also Kingdom of Awadh, Kingdom of Oudh, or Awadh State) was a princely state in the Awadh region of North India until its annexation by the British in 1856. The name Oudh, now obsolete, was once the anglicized name of ...

and the Paigah nobles of

Hyderabad State Hyderabad State () was a princely state located in the south-central Deccan region of India with its capital at the city of Hyderabad. It is now divided into the present-day state of Telangana, the Kalyana-Karnataka region of Karnataka, and t ...

, being later passed down to other states of the area. In

, many states have adopted mahseer as their State Fish.

Arunachal Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh (, ) is a state in Northeastern India. It was formed from the erstwhile North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) region, and became a state on 20 February 1987. It borders the states of Assam and Nagaland to the south. It shares int ...

Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh (; ; "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen mountain states and is characterized by an extreme landscape featuring several peaks ...

, Jammu and Kashmir and

Uttarakhand Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; the official name until 2007), is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally 'Land of the Gods') due to its religious significance and ...

all have the

Nagaland Nagaland () is a landlocked state in the northeastern region of India. It is bordered by the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh to the north, Assam to the west, Manipur to the south and the Sagaing Region of Myanmar to the east. Its capital cit ...

has the 'Chocolate mahseer', '' Neolissochilus hexagonolepis'' as their State Fish,

Odisha Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...

has the fish known as 'Mahanadi mahseer', '' Tor mosal mahanadicus'' as its State Fish. The southern state of

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

is considering changing its State Fish from Carnatic carp to the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

Red Listed ''Critically Endangered'' ''

''. There have been calls for ''

'', the 'Java mahseer' known locally as emperau, to be adopted as the national fish of

Conservation issues for mahseer

Translocation movements of mahseer within India have been happening since the 1850s, at least. During this period, the integrity and identity of species was poorly understood, which may have caused unintentional issues of Hybridisation between species or competition from

Invasive species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...

. Among the best documented areas where fish movements have been used for reasons of improving angling sport, or attempting to augment declining stocks are the

Lakes of Kumaon hills The Lakes of Kumaon hills are a group of lakes located in the Nainital district, Kumaon. Nainital district is also called the ‘Lake District’ of India. These are under restoration with funds provided by the National Lake Conservation Plan (N ...

. The Kumaon lakes in Uttarakhand, Bhimtal Lake,

Nainital Lake Nainital Lake, also known as Naini Lake, is a natural freshwater body, situated amidst the town of Nainital in Kumaon, Uttarakhand, India. It is tectonic in origin and is mango shaped or crescent shaped and has an outfall at the southeastern en ...

, Naukuchiatal Lake and Sattal Lake, were stocked with mahseer in 1858 by Sir H. Ramsey, with stock brought from the rivers Gaula and

Kali Kali (; sa, काली, ), also referred to as Mahakali, Bhadrakali, and Kalika ( sa, कालिका), is a Hinduism, Hindu goddess who is considered to be the goddess of ultimate power, time, destruction and change in Shaktism. In t ...

. According to Walker in his 'Angling in the Kumaon Lakes', the Bhimtal stocking was less successful, until a second batch of fish were introduced in 1878. Dr Raj, Fisheries Development Officer in United Provinces, in his 1945 report on the decline of mahseer stocks in the lakes says: "From all reports these isolated lakes had hardly any fish in them before the introduction of mahseer." This is clearly a misunderstanding of the history of mahseer in the lakes, as Walker earlier says: "When I first angled in Nainital Lake, in 1863 and 1864, there were comparatively few large mahsir in it; there were shoals of the lake fish ''(Barbus Chilinoides)'' and many small trout ''(Barilius Bola)''. A morning's catch would include a couple of small mahsir, eight or nine ' lake-fish' and two or three trout. Gradually the mahsir have reduced the numbers of the other fish until it is a rare circumstance to catch a ‘lake-fish’ with the fly, and I have not for many years seen a single trout, although I heard of one being caught last year by a troller." The inference must be that the introductions of mahseer into the lakes caused the unexpected decline of several native fish stocks, either due to competition, or by direct predation and that the earlier fish stocks were notable.
In

is depleting at a fast rate from the state even though it was categorised as an endangered species by the National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources as early as 1992. In common with most areas within the geographic range of mahseers, the factors leading to this situation are mainly anthropogenic distortion of rivers due to the construction of river valley projects, multipurpose dams, shrinking habitat, poaching and other stock exploitation, and widespread introduction of invasive species.
Intentional stocking of mahseers in the trans-Himalayan region have been taking place for several years. It has been reported that the Teesta River in Sikkim and West Bengal has been stocked with hundreds of thousands of

every year since at least 2014 in a drive to promote angling in the region. That the fish stocks continue to decline suggests that the policy needs to be reviewed and more efforts devoted to improving habitat as the first priority.

Revision of all mahseer species

In May 2019, Mahseer Trust and collaborators published a major revision paper. This paper includes the latest IUCN Red Listing status and validity of 16 species of the Tor genus. Following this publication, fresh impetus into understanding the ecology of wild populations and establishing more secure species identities will allow coherent conservation programmes to be enacted, and fish currently listed Data Deficient to be accorded with relevant threat status.

Conferences

Over several decades, concerned organisations have arranged conferences to debate issues around mahseer conservation. Among the early events was the Kuala Lumpur Conference of 2005, and in 2014, WWF-India convened a forum in Delhi. Both of these events looked at many issues specific to mahseer, and typical outputs included measures to investigate greater understanding of mahseer ecology. In 2017, Mahseer Trust convened a different kind of event, by including representatives to discuss all aspects of both the fish and the river habitat in which they live. This unique conference included sessions aired live on social media, with a final question and answer session reaching 6,000 viewers. December 2018 saw the First International Conference, in Paro, Bhutan. Among the many recommendations were increased research into the ecology of wild mahseer and ensuring artificial breeding of mahseer is done under strict control using IUCN guidelines. IMC2 was held in Chiang Mai, Thailand, in February 2020. Roundtable workshops on the final day agreed to produce outputs, including papers, white paper proposals and outreach media, in the following areas of concern: * What is a mahseer? Considering taxonomy. * Value of recreational angling. Setting standards. * Impacts of invasive species. Ways to ensure enforcement. * Developing outreach and education. To share messages and programmes.

References

Other sources

* Nautiyal, Prakash, ed. 1994. ''Mahseer: The Game Fish.'' Natural History, Status and Conservation Practices in India and Nepal. Rachna. * Silas, E. G., Gopalakrishnan, A., John, L., and Shaji, C. P.. 2005. Genetic identity of ''Tor malabaricus '' (Jerdon) (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) as revealed by RAPD markers.'' Indian journal of fish. 52(2): 125–140.'' * Rainboth, W. J. 1985. ''Neolissochilus'', a new group of South Asia ''Cyprinid'' fishes. Beaufortia. 35(3): 25–35. * Mirza, M. R., and Javed, M. N. 1985. ''A note on Mahseer of Pakistan with the description of ''Naziritor'', a new subgenus (Pisces: Cyprinidae).'' Pakistan Journal of Zoology. 17: 225–227. * Arunkumar; & Ch. Basudha. 2003. ''Tor barakae'', a new species of mahseer fish (''Cyprinidae: Cyprininae'') from Manipur, India.'' Aquacult. 4(2): 271–276.'' * Ambak, M.A., Ashraf, A.H. and Budin, S. 2007. Conservation of the Malaysian Mahseer in Nenggiri Basin through Community Action. In: Mahseer, The Biology, Culture and Conservation. Malaysian Fisheries Society Occasional Publication No.14, Kuala Lumpur 2007:217–228 *National Agricultural Technology Project, 2004. Germplasm inventory, evaluation and gene banking of freshwater fishes. World Bank funded Project MM, No: 27/28/98/NATP/MM-III, 18-32p. National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources, Lucknow India.

External links

* * *{{FishBase valid species list, Naziritor * http://www.mahseertrust.org
Golden Mahseer

Mahseer information

Deccan Mahseer

Mahseer Research Centre – India
Fish of Asia Cyprininae Fish common names Indian culture Fish in heraldry bn:মহাশোল id:Semah lt:Pailgažvyniai ml:കുയിൽ മീൻ ms:Ikan Kelah ne:सहर (माछा) pnb:معاشیر