Mangaluru : The Fish Carnival, organised by the Pilikula Nisargadhama in association with Fisheries College and Karnataka Fisheries Development Corporation, provided an opportunity for anglers which received overwhelming response in Moodushedde on Sunday.

The attempt of the management to attract more visitors to the Nisargadhama through the event proved to be a hit.

DC A B Ibrahim formally inaugurated the event. An elder couple from Chennagiri, who are experts in using fishing nets, caught the attention of onlookers. There were three platforms and one could enjoy angling by paying a registration fee of Rs 100. However, the organisers realised that meager number of platforms could not serve all.

Anglers were disappointed as they didn’t get enough fish. ‘Snake Papu’ of Mangalore Anglers’ Club said, fishes didn’t come near hooks because of the fear of net, already in the lake. “As they are organising the event for the first time, it is a learning experience for them. They can convene a meeting with amateur anglers. A few also lost their angling sticks worth several thousands because of the net in the lake.” 15 members of 60 members club had come for angling.

Pilikula Nisargadhama Executive Director S A Prabhakara Sharma said that more than 70 people had registered their names for the angling. To encourage and train anglers, Pilikula Anglers’ Club will be formed in association with the Fisheries College. It will also motivate nature-friendly fishing, he informed.

Fisheries College Associate Professor Dr A T Ramachandra Naik said anglers didn’t get more fishes because Catla fishes were at the surface of the water and it is tough to catch them using sticks. Ibrahim was elated by the public’s overwhelming response to the carnival. Programmes will be organised every month to attract public. “Nisargadhama should sustain with its own income. There may be shortcomings in the first carnival. To show live fishes, there was a need to catch fishes using net,” he said.

The freshwater fishes of the Pilikula lake caught using the net were auctioned. Though public show less interest towards the freshwater fish in the market, here the situation was different. The largest catch of the day (Catla), weighed around seven kilograms.

Most of the catla fishes weighed around 2.5 kg and were sold for Rs 650 to Rs 700 in the auction. The market rate of the catla is anywhere between Rs 140 and Rs 160.

Karnataka Fisheries Development Corporation (KFDC) stall which sold sea fishes and freshwater fishes like Catla and Rohu of the lake was filled with customers. The KFDC sold seer fish, white pomfret, white prawns, pink perch, butterfish, tiger prawns, mackerel and lobster priced between Rs 150 and Rs 900. Fish finger, fish cutlet, fish fillet, lobster bite and many other value-added products were also available. The stall managed to register a business of Rs 30,000 by 11 am itself.

The Nisargadhama will host ‘Vasanthotsava,’ an exhibition and sale of rare flowers and fruits on May 24.