01-08-2025
Fishing in Kashmir, beneath the ice sheaths
The blinding winter sunlight and sub-zero temperatures of the 40-day harsh winter spell, locally known as 'Chilai Kalan', can turn the surfaces of Srinagar's Anchar Lake and Bandipora's Wular Lake into translucent ice sheaths. They make strolls around the freshwater lakes quite unbearable, especially in the mornings or evenings.
Abid Dar, 35, a fisherman, reaches the shores of Anchar Lake at 10.30 a.m. 'This is the time it becomes a little easy to break the ice and navigate the lake in the shikara [a small, narrow wooden boat]. I have tried starting my day earlier but the oar gets damaged by the thick layer of ice,' he explains. Tchay gaadi or shadow fishing, a traditional form of fishing in Kashmir is specifically associated with Anchar Lake in the Soura area of Srinagar. 'The fishing method borrows its name from shadows created from a moored boat at designated points in the lake where fish make their way in winters. The identification of these pools amidst willows and reeds is a matter of experience,' Dar says.
His colony that resides on the banks of this lake is dependent on it not just for the fish — the lake is home to 15 species that include mirror carp, western mosquitofish and Chirruh snowtrout — but also water chestnuts, reeds and lotus stems. Many like Dar pile up reeds on their shikaras, as the oar breaks the ice to reach marshy patches. They recite certain Koranic verses in Arabic, which fishermen consider powerful enough to ward off evil spells from the fish.
The piles of reeds offer small, temporary shelter and camouflage the shikara. 'You position yourself near the pool and hide in the dark chamber of reeds. As the dark pools attract fish, a harpoon or spear is thrown to capture them,' explains Dar, adding that the light beneath the water helps identify the movement of fish. It is an activity that requires immense patience and skill.
Chasing snow trout
Around 66 km away from Anchar, Manzoor Din, 42, is among approximately 3,000 fishermen living on the shores of the Wular Lake. The lake is home to fish that is relished across the Valley for its taste and size. The lake is home to the common carp and snow trout, which breathes freely in flowing freshwater. At the foothills of Harmukh Mountain, the lake is mainly fed by the Jhelum river, which starts its journey south of Kashmir to reach the northern part of the Valley after covering over 100 km.
Shrinking reality
Unfortunately, the twin lakes of Anchar and Wular tell a tale of neglect and human greed. The lakes, which continue to shrink due to encroachment for habitation and the creation of farm land, pose a threat to fish farming and the livelihood of these communities. While the Anchar Lake saw its size coming down from 19.4 to just 6.8 over the past century, the Wular lake has shrunk from 217.8 to 58 in the same period. The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in several communications to the J&K government has stressed on measures to safeguard the lake. Officials say that with the joint action of the government and the Centre, the thrust will be on diversion and treatment of wastewater, shoreline protection, lake front development, de-silting and de-weeding, bio-fencing and creating awareness among the locals. But the implementation is so slow that the lakes stare at worsening water quality, harming the fish species.
Hope in Wular The Department of Wildlife Protection, Jammu & Kashmir, has already pushed for a comprehensive management action plan for the lake, following a survey in 2022 and this year. The government has identified 30 villages to manage waste and is working on addressing the treatment of 23 major inlets. The proposed ₹386.39 crore plan aims at lake rejuvenation and catchment conservation. Wular lake is home to a total of 12 fish species, including Schizothorax labiatus or the Kunar snow trout, which is in the endangered category.
Journey to Jammu
Meanwhile, fishermen such as Din continue their daily trips with faint optimism. 'I offer my morning prayers before I start fishing with smaller nets. There are places that offer warmer pools and the fish tend to move towards it. The real challenge is to find these small pools in the lake in winters,' Din says. The fish from this lake makes its way to upmarket dinner tables across the Valley. Shazia Shuaib runs an all-women enterprise in Bandipora's Madar area, where they cook traditional fish delicacies. 'We still prepare fish with a mix of collard green, white radish and lotus stem. It has been a delicacy of Kashmiris for centuries. Another popular recipe is fish in thick tomato gravy,' Shuaib says.
The brand, Wular Fish for All, delivers across the region in earthen pots, which carries one to two kilos of fish. 'Last January, we sent fish delicacies to Jammu as well, which is 300 km away. We have customers in most districts of the Valley. Pandits as well as Muslims from Jammu have started ordering fish delicacies in winters,' says Shuaib, adding that these fish preparations can be time-consuming. The Wular fish is still prepared on firewood with mostly sundried local spices, including red chilli and the cockscomb flower or mawal.
