Guwahati: The Sikkim Government has declared Cooper Mahseer (locally known as Katley) as a state fish.
The state government stated that the decision was taken in order to highlight the importance of the fish and to give emphasis to its conservation measures.
According to additional Director Fisheries CS Rai, Katley is found in varied altitudes covering entire state predominantly confined in Teesta and Rangit rivers and their tributaries. In the year 1992, ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (ICAR-NBFGR), Lucknow had categorized Katley fish as an endangered species.
Later on, in the year 2014 the fish was also categorized as endangered by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature).
He further added that the fish has high market value and is highly preferred by the public in the State.