Shillong angler wins first Pare angling contest

Itagar, Oct 30: Mepsoro, Kheel in Papum Pare district’s Toru Circle hosted the first Pare River Angling tourment on Saturday. 

The Tribal Adventure Tours organised it in association with the local villagers, panchayat leaders and goan burhas. More than 50 anglers from Assam, Meghalaya, Sikkim, West Bengal and Aruchal Pradesh participated in the tourment to catch the golden mahseer, the world’s top sport fish, much to the enthusiasm of the local people.

The anglers caught golden mahseers weighing 600 gm to 6.9 kg and released them back in the river. The first prize worth Rs 50,000 went to Richard Marran from Shillong for the largest fish weighing 6.9 kg. Takom Darrang from Kebang village won the second price of Rs 30,000 for catching a 6.86 kg fish while Lokam And won the third prize of Rs 15,000 for his 3.56 kg catch.

Techi Tagi Tara, chairman of Aruchal Pradesh Pollution Control Board, gave away the prizes to the winning anglers. He appreciated the initiative of organizer John Panye, president of Aruchal Pradesh Tour Operators’ Association and MD of Tribal Adventure Tours, for organizing the angling tourney. 

Tara exhorted the villagers, especially the youth, to come forward and support such ideas for the promotion and development of tourism for sustaible income. He also stressed the need to keep the rivers clean and ban construction of toilets and piggeries along the river banks.

“The district authorities should take action against such constructions, as clean rivers are good for aquatic animals as well as for the people,” he said, appreciating the anglers from other States for participating in the tourment. Before the tourment, DFDO Yupia Dayum Davi released 5,000 fish fingerlings in the river with Toru CU, panchayat leaders, anglers and the local people. He emphasised fish conservation and said the tourment would go a long way in saving the endangered golden mahseer.

Panye said the tourment was organised to promote angling tourism in the State. “Many anglers from different parts of the country as well as abroad are interested in coming to Aruchal for angling in the State’s fish-rich rivers that also offer a scenic view. The local people need to set an example in hospitality to make this a popular angling destition, which will in turn boost the local economy,” he said.

He also promised to organize such events on a larger scale with the support of Fishery and Tourism departments and other stakeholders.