The water-rich river Thamirabarani originates in the Pothigai mountains, part of the Western Ghats in the Tirunelveli district in Tamil Nadu. The Thamirabarani River rises in the mountains in the middle of dense forests, crosses the forest area over a distance of about 15 km, encloses the dams of Karaiyar, Manimutthar and Servalar and flows into the city of Tirunelveli.
It flows through the Thoothukudi district through Tirunelveli and flows into the Gulf of Mannar in the Punnai backwater. The Thamirabarani River, also known as the Porunai River, has a diverse historical heritage. Various species of fish occur in the Thamirabarani River.
The Manimuthar Agathiyamalai People’s Natural Resources Conservation Centre has found 13 native fish species in the Thamirabarani River. It was found that there is also a dangerous tank cleaner fish in it, which is shocking.
The fishermen said, “The net is designed for the local fish and the South American farmed fish come and get caught in the net. If they are trapped in the net, they bite and damage the net to escape. We throw the catch to the shore. We spread the net on the shore. The inland fishermen catch 5 to 10 kg of farmed fish per day. Each fish weighs half to one and a half kilos. One of these fish may come from the dam. Or someone left them there.”
The dangerous fish species bred in the region is the Tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum), also known as Cachama or Gamitana. The Tambaqui native to the Amazon is a fast-growing, all-eating and robust fish that tolerates poor water quality, especially low oxygen content. It has an adaptive lip which can absorb the oxygen-rich surface water. In equatorial climate zones, where temperatures are always above 26°C, the Tambaqui can grow over 3 kg annually and achieve yields of 5,000-8,000 kg with little water exchange and without ventilation.
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