Jahangeer Ganaie
Srinagar, Sep 2: The flourishing trout farming industry in Kashmir has been dealt a serious blow with repeated cases of suspected poisoning being reported from different parts of the valley.
In the latest incident, a fish farm at Ganowpora village in Balpora, Shopian, suffered devastating losses when nearly 3,500 fish were found dead overnight.
The farm, owned by Bilal Ahmad Lone, has suffered an estimated loss of nearly Rs 4 lakh.
Lone said that he discovered the dead fish early in the morning and immediately alerted the authorities. “I had worked tirelessly for years to raise these fish. In just one night, everything was destroyed,” he said in despair.
Locals alleged that miscreants sneaked into the farm at night and deliberately poisoned the water. The police have since registered a case and launched an investigation to trace those behind the act.
According to the Fisheries Department, such incidents are no longer isolated. In Shopian district alone, around a dozen cases of mass fish deaths have been recorded this year. They said nearly three dozen poisoning cases have been reported since January across south Kashmir.
Officials confirmed that at least 50,000 to 60,000 fish of varying sizes have been killed in these incidents in Shopian alone, most of them due to pesticides being deliberately poured into ponds.
Despite advisories and monitoring by the department, farmers remain unconvinced. “We are living in fear. One night of sabotage can undo years of work. This is not just financial destruction, it is psychological torture,” said another trout farmer from Shopian.
Trout farming has grown rapidly in Kashmir over the past decade. With government subsidies and schemes under the Holistic Agriculture Development Program (HADP), the valley has witnessed hundreds of new farms being established, particularly in rural districts. The industry not only supplements household incomes but also provides employment opportunities to the youth.
Officials say trout farming is emerging as a backbone of rural entrepreneurship in Kashmir. The valley now contributes significantly to the state’s aquaculture output, making the sector a vital component of the local economy. However, the increasing sabotage cases have cast a long shadow on this promising industry.
Farmers believe that personal enmities and rivalries are driving much of the poisoning. At the same time, they accuse the administration of failing to enforce accountability.
“Unless there is strict punishment, these incidents will continue,” said a farmer from Pulwama. “Every poisoning means lakhs of rupees lost, families pushed into debt, and years of work wasted. How long can we continue like this?”
Farmers warn that without stronger vigilance, legal safeguards, and government intervention, the entire investment made under HADP could go to waste. “We were told trout farming would transform rural Kashmir,” said another farmer, “But if our stock keeps getting poisoned, this sector will collapse before it reaches its full potential.”
