Gambusia Fish seedlings released in water bodies to prevent malaria/dengue

Korel, Chandigarh, 20^th September, 2019:

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) at Botanical garden, Dhanas, Rose Garden, Sector: 16 Chandigarh on 20.9.19 for preventing malaria/dengue and to maintain ecological balance.The gambusia fish will be released in other water points shortly.

Sh. Tejdeep Singh Saini, Director Animal Husbandry & Fisheries U.T. Chandigrah stated that the Gambusia released in the water bodies is being produced at Fish Seed Farm at Regulator end of Sukhna Lake functioning under .U.T. Fisheries Department . The department breeds this fish in March and then releases it up to December as per requirement. He also informed that in the Northern region, Govt. Fish Seed Farm, Chandigarh at Regulatory end, Sukhna Lake is the only farm which  breeds the rare fishes and supplies 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 & Fisheries apprised that gambusia has a voracious appetite; an adult mosquitofish can eat up to 150 mosquito larvae in an 8 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 further appealed to public to approach the Fish Seed Farm for collecting mosquitofish for releasing at stagnant water points to check and control mosquito breeding.