It is a big conservation push with a mass fish release in Pune at the Ujani Dam reservoir, one of Maharashtra’s most important inland water spots. On February 14, 2026, the Maharashtra Fisheries Department teamed up with the Bombay Natural History Society and set 12.2 million fish fingerlings loose in the reservoir, which comes after years of trouble from invasive fish that have thrown the whole ecosystem out of whack. Unmesh Katwate, a senior scientist at BNHS, pointed out that the Ujani wetland at Palasdev has lost a ton of native fish. Species like Tilapia, African catfish, and Suckermouth catfish took over, pushing out the local fish and upsetting the balance in the water.

Native Species Reintroduced

The fingerlings that have been released are of Rohu, Mrigal, and Catla, collectively known as Indian Major Carps, which are extremely important for maintaining the balance of freshwater ecosystems. The purpose of this initiative is to re-establish the dominance of native species in the reservoir, which has been adversely affected by the invasive fish.

African catfish were first found in the reservoir in November 2025, and they were identified with the help of BNHS’s scientific expertise. While Suckermouth catfish is found in tropical South America, Tilapia and African catfish are found in Africa and West Asia. BNHS has recently been involved in the removal of these invasive species before embarking on the large-scale reintroduction of native species.

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Scientific Handling and Encouraging Trends

The release process was done in a scientific manner to ensure a high survival rate. The fish fingerlings were transported in oxygenated tanks on three trucks to avoid stress and mortality. At the reservoir, they were released in a controlled manner in batches of about 2,500 fish per net, as guided by fisheries officers and scientific experts.

Notably, recent studies on catch data carried out by BNHS indicate that Tilapia production has been reduced by a staggering 30-40 percent, indicating a gradual shift in the ecological balance towards indigenous species. Other BNHS staff members who provided scientific inputs to this initiative include project scientists Devi Waingankar and Vaishnavi Patil, and project coordinator Vidhi Eriyathalay.

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Future Plans for Ecosystem Revival

BNHS, with assistance from the Cipla Foundation, is planning to rear 12 threatened and endemic native species as part of its ongoing project, which will occur in June and July during the seasonal migration of these various species. In addition, there will be a total of one million Indian Major Carp and one million fingerlings of the threatened Deccan Mahseer species released for the purpose of returning the Ujani wetland/native fish population, as well as the Bhima River ecosystem, to its natural state.

The mass fish release in Pune is an important step toward ecological restoration and provides encouragement that continued scientific intervention and observation will lead to the restoration of freshwater biodiversity.

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