CHANDIGARH: The Fisheries Department of Chandigarh in coordination with Forest Department initiated step to fight against mosquito borne diseases like malaria, dengue which is common in ongoing season when mosquitoes breed very rapidly causing the spread of these diseases.
The Fisheries department released Mosquito Killer fish (Gambusia) seedlings in the water bodies at Botanical garden, Dhanas, Rose Garden, Sector: 16 Chandigarh on Friday for preventing malaria/dengue and to maintain ecological balance. The gambusia fish will be released in other water points shortly.
Tejdeep Singh Saini, Director Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Chandigrah stated that the Gambusia released in the water bodies was being produced at Fish Seed Farm at Regulator end of Sukhna Lake functioning under the Fisheries Department . The department breeds this fish in March and then releases it up to December as per requirement, he says. He also informed that in the Northern region, Government Fish Seed Farm, Chandigarh at Regulatory end, Sukhna Lake was the only farm which produced seedlings of the rare fishes and supplied to several agencies, free of cost for stocking in stagnant water bodies to prevent mosquito breeding.
On the occasion, Dr Kanwarjit Singh Joint Director of Animal Husbandry and Fisheries apprised that Gambusia has a voracious appetite; an adult mosquito fish could eat up to 150 mosquito larvae in an eight hour period. This makes them an excellent biological tool for mosquito control because the fish consume the larvae before they have a chance to develop into adult mosquitoes.
He also appealed to public to approach the Fish Seed Farm for collecting mosquito fish for releasing at stagnant water points to check and control mosquito breeding.