Relevance: GS III (Environment & Agriculture) | Source: PIB

1. What is the Big News?

The government is running a massive rescue mission for the Ganga River called “River Ranching” under the Namami Gange Programme.

• A Proud World Record: Because of this hard work, India is now the world’s number one country in catching fish from rivers and lakes (known as inland fisheries), leaving China behind.
• The Action: Scientists have safely released over 2 crore native baby fish into the Ganga to bring back its lost water life.

2. What Exactly is ‘River Ranching’?

It is a simple and scientific way to increase the fish population in our rivers:

• Safe Breeding: First, scientists safely breed native river fish inside clean laboratory water tanks.
• Growing Strong: They do not throw tiny, weak fish into the river. They wait until the fish grow strong and are about 10 to 15 centimetres long. At this size, bigger predator fish cannot easily eat them.
• Going Home: Finally, these healthy young fish are released into the natural river. Here, they grow, multiply, and help keep the river ecosystem clean.

3. Why Did the Ganga Need Saving?

Human mistakes severely damaged the fish families in our holy river:

• Concrete Walls: Big dams and barrages (like the Farakka Barrage) acted as huge walls. They physically blocked the natural swimming paths of the fishes.
• Dirty Water: City waste and factory chemicals destroyed the clean, safe areas where river fish used to lay their eggs.
• Overfishing: Catching too many young fish meant there were not enough adults left to reproduce naturally.

4. The ‘Life of the Ganga’ 

To understand the river’s health, UPSC often asks about the unique animals living in it. This rescue mission directly helps them:

• Ganges River Dolphin: Our National Aquatic Animal. It is naturally blind and hunts for food using sound waves. It can only live in pure freshwater. If you see a dolphin, it is a guarantee that the river water there is highly clean.
• The Hilsa: A famous and tasty fish. It lives in the salty ocean (Bay of Bengal) but travels hundreds of kilometres upstream into the sweet water of the Ganga just to lay its eggs.
• Common River Fishes (Carps): Fishes like Rohu and Catla. They provide the main daily food and income for lakhs of poor local fishermen.
• Golden Mahseer: Known as the “Tiger of the River.” It is a beautiful, strong fish found in the fast, clean, rocky waters of the upper Ganga (like in Uttarakhand).

5. The Real Impact on Ground

• More Income: Places like Varanasi have seen a massive 40% jump in their daily fish catch. This means more money and food for small-scale fishermen.
• Return of the Hilsa: Lakhs of adult Hilsa fish are being specially released to rebuild their lost population in the river.
• Modern Tracking: The government is now using flying drones to check the river’s water quality and track the health of these fishes from the sky.

UPSC Value Box

With reference to the aquatic life of the Ganga river and related conservation initiatives, consider the following statements:

1. River ranching is the process of safely breeding fish in captivity and releasing them into natural rivers to restore their wild population.
2. The Ganges River Dolphin is a naturally blind mammal that can survive in both freshwater and seawater environments.
3. Currently, India ranks first in the world in inland capture fisheries production.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 1 and 3 only

(c) 2 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Correct Answer: (b)