BANGALORE: Greedy fishermen have been killing thousands of fish at one shot by triggering explosions in the Cauvery, even in the protected forest areas, thus upsetting the ecological balance.

Fishermen have been illegally killing huge quantity of fish using dynamite in the Cauvery all along its route in Kodagu, Chamarajanagar, Mysore and Mandya districts in violation of the Karnataka Forest Act and the Wildlife Protection Act, official sources told The Hindu.

According to the sources, people from the hamlets on the periphery of the reserve forests have been sneaking into the protected jungles and killing fish in the Cauvery.

The fishermen cause blast by using dynamite. When an explosion takes place under water, the oxygen level suddenly drops.

While the smaller fish die at once, the bigger ones get stunned and come to the surface.

Using nets the fishermen catch the dead fish as well as the live ones that float on the surface. "During every explosion thousands of fish die and this upsets the ecological balance," the sources said.

Though the illegal fish killing is going on almost unchecked, the officials of the CID Forest Cell recently caught three persons at Bheemeshwari Fishing Camp in Halagur police station limits in Malavalli taluk of Mandya district.

The three, all from Kollegal taluk in Chamarajanagar district, were caught while they were carrying 27 kg of fish they had illegally killed. Though the investigation revealed that accused had used dynamite to kill the fish, the police could not book case against them accordingly as they were not possessing the explosives when they were caught, the sources said.

The incident was shocking as the Bheemeshwari Fishing Camp had been set up to protect rare fish in the Cauvery and maintain the ecological balance. Killing fish and even its eggs inside the forests was an offence under the Wild Life Protection Act, the sources said.

Easy access

Fishermen are having an easy access to dynamites and gelatine sticks as large scale quarrying takes places in many areas on the banks of the Cauvery.

If the authorities could ensure that the explosives did not reach the wrong hands the killing of fish by causing explosions could be prevented, the sources said.

The jurisdictional police inspector had to personally visit the explosives and ammunition dealers in his area twice a year and obtain the details of the spent explosives and also to whom the same had been supplied. But the police hardly do that, the sources said.

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