Report by Mohd. Omar Malik
Sikkim, Sep 21: ‘Neolissochilus Hexagonolepis’ commonly called ‘Katley’ or ‘Copper Mahseer’ has been declared State Fish by Sikkim government. The purpose of making it a state fish was to highlight its importance in the ecosystem and to emphasize its conservation measures.
ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (ICAR-NBFGR), Lucknow categorized Katley as an endangered species in 1992. Later in 2014, Katley was again tagged as endangered by IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature).