A Life in Fresh Water--River Conservation and Biodiversity

Steve Lockett’s recent discussion at the Rotana Saadiyat Resort and Villas, “A Life in Fresh Water,” illustrated perfectly the knot of problems--each overwhelming in its own right--that confront conservation projects around the world. However, he was extremely positive in his outlook, calling on scientists of all ages to get involved in conservation and make a difference.

Steve with a friend

Steve is a case in point, having only become an ‘official’ scientist long after he left school at 16 to follow a 30-year career in music. A life-long love of fishing drew him to photojournalism in river and fishing sites, and from there on to filed work studies on mahseer fish and their habitats. He is Education and Outreach Officer of the Mahseer Trust, an organization that aims to protect the mighty mahseer, a freshwater fish that exists from Pakistan to East Asia, South China and Sri Lanka, with multiple species having their range in India. There are 18 species of mahseer, but most have not been adequately described by scientists over the years, and much knowledge has been based on the writings of gentlemen scholars during the Raj found in 150-year old books in private libraries. 

Mahseer can grow up to 55 kg!

As architect of the holistic Kaveri Mission, Steve has been focusing on the Cauvery river, which starts in Coorg and runs for 800 kilometres, with a 72, 000 km squared catchment area—as he said, “a pinprick” in the mahseer’s range. The project aims to conserve the most endangered species of mahseer, the hump-backed mahseer or Tor remadevii, which is IUCN Red Listed as Critically Endangered. This is a higher threat status than tigers.

Conservation of a species in a river system means of necessity preserving the ecosystem of the river itself, so Steve works with many other scientists whose subject areas represent different areas of the river’s food web—otters, Asian wooly-necked storks, dragonflies, and what he calls “the ultimate predator”—we humans.

The risks to mahseer are many. First, they are long-range migratory fish that lay their eggs on gravel sediment and live in large pools. This leaves them vulnerable to habitat disruption from dam projects and the sand and gravel market that supports the world’s hungry cement factories. Removing sand and gravel not only deprives mahseer of a place to spawn, but increases river flow, which can lead to catastrophic flooding that devastates riverside communities and the creatures that live there.

Aside from pollution from communities and manufacturing, there are also unscrupulous fishermen that use poison or dynamite to bring in a larger catch. Steve tries as much as possible to partner with them, since conserving the river and its resources benefits them and their families in the long term.

Rivers have also been sites of fisheries mismanagement, for instance where the fisheries department introduced African catfish (Clarias gariepinus), an invasive species that bred until they had overwhelmed the endemic species. They were meant to provide a sustainable resource for fishermen, but in fact there is no market for them, as the local people dislike the taste.

catfish, anyone? 

There are bureaucratic and human frustrations to doing this work—aside from the lack of species information, sometimes access to important river sites is restricted, and there are difficulties getting scientists to work together across borders, especially between traditional foes like India and Pakistan. Moreover, many people in India are wary of foreigners, due to unpleasant histories of colonization. At an overall level, whatever biodiversity controls exist are often patchily enforced, and there is the tension that exists between development and conservation everywhere in the world. 

However, far from shrinking back from these difficulties, Steve tries as much as possible to bring the local community into the picture, educating children and fishermen, and mentoring as many younger scientists as possible. He is tireless in his efforts to involve younger people, and to encourage them to buck the tradition of younger scientists not being able to contradict or criticize their elders.

This work is critical--ultimately, protecting fresh water biodiversity is of dire importance for many species, since 33% of the world’s invertebrates live in fresh water. It is also key to nothing less than the preservation of water, and life itself.

As the Mahseer Trust’s slogan says, “rivers need fish and people need rivers.”

For more information on the Mahseer Trust, go to https://www.mahseertrust.org/