Madurai :

To sensitise people about the importance of preserving local fish species, nature enthusiasts have decided to organise an angling festival in a water body at the outskirts of the city on Sunday. Kayal – a centre for traditional inland fishermen and fish species – and the Madurai Nature Forum are organizing the event, inviting eager people to spend some time in angling at the Nesaneri tank near Thirumangalam.

Explaining the objective of such novel initiative, M Tamildasan said childhood memories were always filled with catching fish, climbing trees and using catapults to target birds. “With many species of birds disappearing at an alarming rate, we can’t justify using the catapult. At the same time we just cannot forget the games that helped us connect with nature. Hunting for food cannot be deemed a reason for several species vanishing; the actual reasons are the destruction of natural habitat of birds and fishes for human use and the mindless exploitation of natural resources,” he said. The new generation has lost touch with nature. This angling festival is just to recreate that childhood sport and reconnect with nature, he said.

 
A Ravichandran of Kayal said it would be also an occasion to document indigenous fish species in water bodies. A fortnight ago, the centre organized a river walk with volunteers to sensitize them on native fish species and their decline due to commercial aqua culture.

 
“Angling was one of the ancient practices of catching fish. There are different methods of angling to catch different species of fishes. We will be demonstrating to volunteers these methods as well as traditional fishing practices,” he said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Madurai / TNN / January 01st, 2015