Snow Trout Reintroduction Initiative Faces High Mortality Rates

Scientists from Kumaun University recently released approximately 350 captive-bred snow trout fingerlings into Naini Lake and other regional water bodies in Uttarakhand to revive the Vulnerable species. The initiative, which utilized biofloc and recirculating aquaculture system technology, aims to restore populations that were locally extinct for three decades.

However, the program reports high mortality rates among the released fingerlings in Naini, Bhimtal, and other lakes. Researchers are now questioning whether current lake conditions, including pollution, habitat degradation, and climate change, can support the survival of the fish that were originally pushed to extinction by these same environmental factors.

Editor's note: The brief accurately synthesizes the reintroduction timeline, tech used, and the mortality crisis mentioned in the source.