Bay of Bengal
Bay of Bengal📌 Why in News?
The Hilsa, Tenualosa ilisha, is a migratory fish strongly associated with the Ganga-Padma-Meghna system.
Historically, Hilsa travelled from the Bay of Bengal far upstream into the Ganga. The commissioning of Farakka significantly disrupted its migratory pathway, contributing to its sharp decline in the middle and upper Ganga.
Syllabus & Relevance
Paper: GS-2
Theme: Government Schemes
Static Foundation
An important ecological success was reported in August 2026.
Hilsa was recorded again near Tanda Khurd in Chandauli district, Uttar Pradesh, after decades of virtual absence from such upstream reaches.
Between 2019 and June 2026, ICAR-CIFRI and the **National Mission **for Clean Ganga undertook a restoration programme involving river ranching, breeding and monitoring.
More than 3.85 lakh juvenile and adult Hilsa were ranched; over 40 lakh fertilised eggs and around 9.4 lakh hatchery-produced spawn were released upstream of the barrage.
This provides an excellent Mains example of why infrastructure must be designed around river connectivity and ecosystem services, not water quantity alone.
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