The Department of Fisheries and Fishermen Development has invited bidders for auction of fishing rights in Pilloor Reservoir near Mettupalayam for the next five years.
Bidders have been given time till November 10 to apply. The fisheries rights of the reservoirs are leased out to inland fishermen/ fisherwomen co-operative societies/ Adi-Dravidars engaged in fishing activities. If they are not willing to take the lease, fisheries rights will be given through open tender cum auction, as per the existing system.
The upset price or lease value for the water body will be determined based on factors, such as the fish production potential, which includes biological parameters, productivity of incoming water, characteristics of the catchment area and the overall productivity of the water body’s basin, according to the sources.
Through river ranching programme implemented at a cost of ₹1.24 crore for the year 2021-22 and ₹1.20 crore for 2022-23, about 1.10 crore advanced fingerlings were ranched into the Cauvery, Bhavani and Thamirabharani rivers and their tributaries.
The National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) has estimated that the average productivity in reservoirs is 15 kg per hectare per year, though potential exists for manifold increase.
In order to increase the reservoir fish production, quality fish seeds are stocked in the reservoirs. According to NFDB, sustained supplementary stocking of quality fingerlings, and other measures such as augmenting the fish stocks through auto stocking, adoption of appropriate mesh sizes, the average productivity could be increased to a level of 500 kg/ha/yr from small reservoirs.
In Coimbatore district, the fisheries production is carried out on a lesser scale in Pilloor Dam, moderate level in Sholayar Dam and a large extent in Aliyar Dam.
Published – November 04, 2025 07:48 pm IST
