The doyen of freshwater fisheries research, the late Prof MS Johal of Panjab University (PU), in his final years lamented the ebbing ardour for subject analysis. A bit of the modern lot of zoology college students shirk the trials of the sphere by taking the simple method out: “Google fishing”, lab experiments and desktop manipulation of information.

At final week’s ceremony in Chandigarh to award the second Johal Memorial Award to distinguished fisheries scientist Prof BD Joshi, Johal’s colleagues and college students of yore recounted his legendary subject work that paved the way in which for worldwide recognition.

A good friend, thinker and information to a legion of scholars who went on to have profitable careers of their very own, Johal instilled self-reliance and nurtured their latent potential. He led from the entrance by wading into streams and turning over rocks to determine the insect diversities that the fish preyed upon. As a younger lecturer in Ganganagar, Johal spent holidays to foray into obscure areas to analysis Rajasthan fishes.

“Johal labored with the Fisheries division on reservoirs. His diligent subject research helped us decide the scale of internet mesh to forestall fishermen from catching small fish but to breed. Our joint efforts resulted within the annual catch rising three-fold. He braved musty rooms and dangerous meals with a affected person smile, saying that ‘when out for analysis nothing is dangerous, the whole lot is nice’,” recalled Dr Kuldeep Sharma, ex-director, fisheries, Himachal Pradesh.

“On our first subject journey beneath Johal to check hill stream ecology, he ordered us to plunge in and catch fish with our arms. We failed, we college students couldn’t catch the agile fish with even a bucket. That was our first lesson: subject work could appear simple however it isn’t. He then employed native fishermen for 2 days however solely to coach us on nets. After that, college students have been requested to do netting,” recounted Dr YK Rawal, PU’s zoology division head.

Former dean of scholars welfare, GNDU, Amritsar, Dr Anish Dua, landed on the varsity as a younger lecturer within the Nineties and was disenchanted to seek out no aquatic biology lab. “Johal cheered me up and prompt a substitute: make Harike wetland right into a subject lab. I commenced analysis with my college students and our arduous work was rewarded after we compiled an inventory of 61 Harike fish species. That drew worldwide discover. Though Johal inspired subject work, Punjab varsities have been simply not assigning sufficient researchers to the unexplored wilderness. That is why it took a long time after Independence to find the Indus dolphin within the Beas,” Dua stated.

Pawan guru, paani pita

The Guru Granth Sahib and allied scriptures are wealthy in references to ecological issues. The prescient teachings name upon individuals to venerate the air, water, birds, fishes, timber and many others and shield nature’s endowments for sustainable planetary life. However, symbolism has come to reign because the dominant God. Successive governments have been rocked by desecration of the scriptures (sacrilege) as such acts arouse anti-establishment ire.

The parallel destruction of the ecology—which the deified scriptures had deemed as sacred—finds restricted public resonance. Despite entreaties to the individuals by the venerable Baba Seechewal, desecration of the ecosystem doesn’t make the grade as an election problem. The ingrained lure of the short buck results in felling of timber, grabbing of inexperienced lands and mining of river banks. Greed blinds us to the true intentions of the scriptures that we bow our coated heads to in a ritualistic method.

As an emblem of our numerous self-destructive methods, ponder upon the destiny suffered by an owl clan within the godforsaken wilderness of Harike, a Ramsar website. Field researchers reminiscent of Jagdeep Singh (zoology division, Punjabi University, Patiala) noticed unchecked sand mining, agricultural encroachment of floodplains and pollutant poisoning of the Beas/Satluj that deposited toxins/heavy metals in breeding birds and fishes. Amid a myriad of miserable spectacles, Singh would fortunately spot Indian eagle owls on a selected Neem on the Beas.

“However, after I visited the location final, I discovered the soil had been eliminated and it had led to loosening of adjoining soil. The Neem bought dislodged and it fell within the Beas. The owls have been compelled to flee their favored tree, which that they had occupied for generations. Locals instructed me there have been six owls a number of years again however their numbers had declined drastically,” Singh instructed this author.

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