Vijayapura: The depleting water in the Almatti dam backwaters is proving to be manna for the fishermen as it is providing each catch for large size fish to them.
With the water level decreasing significantly due to scorching heat in April and May, there is an abundance of fish in the water now for the fishermen, both professionals and the amateur.
Normally, finding large fish is difficult during winter and monsoon season due to high levels of water as the fish gets more space to move.
“ But now as the water level has receded, the water area has crunched and fish have limited space to move. This helps the fishermen to catch the big fish easily”, said Mahed Madar, one of the fishermen.
He said that last year, the backwater level did not recede significantly, therefore, the fishermen could not get easy catch of big fish. They had to satisfy only with small fish which they got in their nets.
He said that the majority of the fishermen are now using the wider nets to catch big fish. Though small fish escape from wider nets, big fish can’t.
“ The fishermen today are catching an average of 20kg fish. Some fishermen have caught around three quintal of fish in a single day”, said another fishermen Kumar Ukkali and Muttu Kattimani.
He said that they are selling the fish anywhere between Rs. 60/kg to 150/kg based on its variety and availability.
Kattimani said that besides the professional fishermen, it is a good time even for the amateur fishermen to catch large fish easily with their hooks.
“ The amateur fishermen, if lucky, can get big size fish, but if not that, they can easily catch a medium size fish with their hooks and right bait”, he said.
