A fishing competition was organized on Sunday in Pahalgam. The competition was organized by the Kashmir Angler’s Federation (KAF) in collaboration with the department of tourism and fisheries and aimed to promote adventure sports as well as adventure tourism. Because on an international level, especially in European countries, people have a huge passion for angling and they are having a good time angling.
So to revive angling activities in the valley, the authorities organised wonderful fishing competitions that attracted a good number of anglers from the valley, including youngsters also.
The department of fisheries has also been making some efforts to boost trout fish culture, even though they are spreading the seeds on different farms aimed to maintain the importance of trout fish, which is a major attraction for anglers. Fazlul Haseeb (Director, Tourism Kashmir) told the press, “Kashmir valley, which is also known as an angler’s paradise, and the trout fish of the valley are famous all over the world, which can attract a large number of international angling lovers from different parts of the world. I think in the case of adventurous sports, angling has always been a traditional part of Kashmiri life. Through this event, we are being supported by the department of fisheries and it’s wonderful to see so many anglers from different parts of the country, including local anglers, who come forward to help us ensure that angling is an adventure sport.”
He added that fishing competitions bring cheer to energetic anglers and adventure lovers in Pahalgam. “Kashmir valley has huge potential for angling and in the past hundreds of anglers have visited the valley for angling and such activities have always helped to promote adventure sports and tourism. I say this it is a very dangerous drug, but it has no side effects. This competition is a very good step taken for both the locals and the visitors,” Mohamad Yousuf, Angler said.
According to Sameer, the organizer of the fishing competition, dozens of streams in the Kashmir valley are well-known for angling, including Pahalgam’s Lidder Valley, Arin Bandipora, and Harwan Dachigam. But unfortunately, due to the large scale extraction of stones, sand, and fish from the streams by locals, the streams are affected on a large scale. So, for the safety and preservation of these streams for future generations, the government took this initiative and organised a wonderful fishing competition in the streams of the world-famous tourist destination Pahalgam, known as the valley of shepherds.
A renowned angler of the valley, M. Yousuf Baktoo, said, “I have been fishing for 45 years, but for the first time this event is happening. This is very good stuff for the locals and the tourists.”