It is a big conservation push with a mass fish release in Pune at the Ujani Dam reservoir, one of Maharashtra’s most important inland water spots.
The Maharashtra Fisheries Department teamed up with the Bombay Natural History Society and set 12.2 million fish fingerlings loose in the reservoir, which comes after years of trouble from invasive fish that have thrown the whole ecosystem out of whack. Unmesh Katwate, a senior scientist at BNHS, pointed out that the Ujani wetland at Palasdev has lost a ton of native fish.
Species like Tilapia, African catfish, and Suckermouth catfish took over, pushing out the local fish and upsetting the balance in the water.
The fingerlings that have been released are of Rohu, Mrigal, and Catla, collectively known as Indian Major Carps, which are extremely important for maintaining the balance of freshwater ecosystems. The purpose of this initiative is to re-establish the dominance of native species in the reservoir, which has been adversely affected by the invasive fish.
African catfish were first found in the reservoir in November 2025, and they were identified with the help of BNHS’s scientific expertise. While Suckermouth catfish is found in tropical South America, Tilapia and African catfish are found in Africa and West Asia. BNHS has recently been involved in the removal of these invasive species before embarking on the large-scale reintroduction of native species.
