''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 the Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers. It is a popular gamefish, once believed to be the largest species of mahseer, and can reach up to in length and in weight, though most caught today are far smaller. It is threatened by habitat loss, habitat degradation and

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 it already has declined by more than an estimated 50%. This omnivorous species is generally found near the surface in water that ranges from . Its caudal, pelvic, and anal fins show tint of reddish-golden colour. While the body above its lateral line is generally golden in colour at adulthood, the gold colour might be absent in young specimens.
Hamilton's original description says "The head is blunt, oval, small, and smooth". He goes on to say "The mouth is small" and "the lateral line is scarcely distinguishable". However, the largest head of any mahseer species, with a large mouth and prominent lateral line stripe, are features considered to be important in the correct identification of this species. A cavefish species found in Meghalaya in India is likely derived from this species. The Himalayan Golden Mahaseer is the

National fish National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

of Pakistan.. It is also the state fish of the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand,

Madhyapradesh Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the second lar ...

and the UT of

Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...

Releases beyond native range

Recent releases of artificially bred stock have been into the

Irrawaddy River The Irrawaddy River ( Ayeyarwady River; , , from Indic ''revatī'', meaning "abounding in riches") is a river that flows from north to south through Myanmar (Burma). It is the country's largest river and most important commercial waterway. Origi ...

basin in Nagaland, India and, through the Indo-German Biodiversity Programme releases into the Hira Bambai reservoir and small streams around Melghat Tiger Reserve, part of the Tapti River basin. The effect of releasing fish from a different river basin, well outside its native range is uncertain. That these fish are being released over a ten-year period, with as many as 10,000 in each batch, must be considered a huge threat to the native mahseer and other fish species. According to Dr Ogale, former scientist leading the fish breeding programme for Tata Power: "When these mature, there will be more fingerlings which will be then introduced in river Tapi". River Tapi is a west-flowing river of the central Indian state of

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...

. Most researchers believe this fish is in a population decline, hence the Red Listing status of Endangered. Some, however, have noted that Tor putitora is "quite abundant", which also raises questions about the status of ongoing stock augmentation programmes.

Notes

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2741221 Taxa named by Francis Buchanan-Hamilton Fish described in 1822 Cyprinid fish of Asia Freshwater fish of China Freshwater fish of India Symbols of Uttarakhand Fish of Pakistan National symbols of Pakistan