The rise in flash flood incidents in Himachal Pradesh over the years has been hurting the fragile aquatic habitat of the rivers and streams, posing a threat to species like trout, the exotic Salmonidae fish that thrives in the cold, fresh waters of high-altitude Himalayan mountains.
In Himachal Pradesh, brown trout (Salmo Trutta fario) and rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri gairdneri) are found in the Rivers including, the Beas, Sutlej and the Ravi in the upper Himalayan region. The trouts were introduced in the country mainly to encourage sport fisheries, and now, apart from sport fisheries. The culture of trouts is increasingly being identified as a commercial venture for table fish production, experts and officials believe that extreme weather events, including the rise in flash floods, are a matter of concern, which could cause damage to the aquatic habitats, eventually adversely hitting the livelihood of those involved in business activities surrounding fisheries.
