In an order issued today by the Government of Sikkim on the 2nd of September, the Neolissochilus Hexagonolepis has been declared as the State Fish of Sikkim. Commonly called the Chocolate Mahseer or Copper Mahseer, this species of fish is found in the Teesta and Rangit rivers of the state.
The Chocolate Mahseer is a freshwater fish which usually resides in the cold waters of the Himalayan rivers and their tributaries. Its found in the Northeastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Sikkim.
This fish is locally known as the Katley and it appears in the list of endangered species in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research had categorized it as endangered almost thirty years back in the year 1992.
The Chocolate Mahseer is an omnivorous fish generally living in the lower stretches of the rivers and their tributaries. However they migrate upstream for reproduction purposes. Spawning usually takes place during the warm season from April to October. And it generally peaks from August to September every year.
It is one of the sloth after fishes in the local market because of its lower availability and very high customer demand.
