Cheng Garaka is Tempting Smugglers!

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: Channa barca, also known as the Barca snakehead, and locally known as cheng garaka or garaka cheng, is the target of poachers and smugglers of wildlife.

Assam has always been the target for smugglers. Rhinos, geckos, pangolins, ivory, tiger fur, and other body parts have always been the targets of wildlife smugglers. These apart, various medicinal herbs and aquatic plants, besides various types of timbers, have been tempting smugglers who are out to mint money by selling them to countries where such species are in high demand.

In July 2024, Kaziranga National Park authorities arrested a person who is part of a gang smuggling Channa barca fish and recovered four live Channa barca fish.

 Again in October 2024, Government Railway Police and Assam Forest officials recovered a massive consignment of endangered Channa barca fish from Guwahati Railway Station.

According to sources, the rescue was made possible due to specific inputs, leading to the seizure of 62 rare and endangered Channa barca fish. The fish were found hidden in two sealed cartons containing 31 plastic packets, Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) sources said. The species is scheduled under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, making its trade and possession illegal. It is listed as endangered on the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List. Channa barca is a sought-after species found in the freshwater bodies and is endemic to the upper Brahmaputra River basin in northeastern India and Bangladesh. It is said to play a vital role in maintaining the balance of its ecosystem as a top predator. Its unique characteristics and scarcity make it a prime target of illegal wildlife traffickers involved in the exotic pet trade. The traffickers mostly send the fish to Indonesia, Malaysia, China, and Japan, where it has a thriving market.

 The Channa barca, with their striking patterns and elusive nature, is highly prized in the illegal wildlife market. During the monsoon, these fish emerge from their hidden chambers to hunt and breed, making them vulnerable to poachers.

 The species is regarded as an excellent food fish, and it is also highly desired by aquarists, but its rarity, behaviour, and large size make it unsuitable for most aquariums, sources said.

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