SHILLONG, MAY 5: Ending a long gap, Meghalaya will now have a state fish.
The state Cabinet on Tuesday declared the chocolate mahseer, locally called “Khasaw”, as the state fish, citing the need for conservation and promotion of the species found across the state.
Cabinet Minister and MDA spokesperson Wailadmiki Shylla said the proposal to notify ‘Neolissochilus hexagonolepis’ as the state fish was cleared in the cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma.
“The state cabinet has approved the declaration of chocolate mahseer, Neolissochilus hexagonolepis, as the state fish of Meghalaya,” he said.
He noted that Meghalaya was among the few states without a designated state fish.
“As you know, till now in the state of Meghalaya we don’t have a state fish, whereas if you look in other parts of the country almost 22 states have already declared some fish as their state fish,” Shylla said.
The chocolate mahseer is widely distributed in Meghalaya’s rivers and is known as “Khasaw” in Khasi.
“You will find this fish in all parts of the state,” Shylla said, adding that the move was taken “from the conservation point of view as well.”
“We want to promote it and at the same time we want to conserve it as well,” he said.
