The Bhutan Telemetry Project: Tracking Golden Mahaseer in the Manas Watershed

The Fisheries Conservation Foundation and the World Wildlife Fund have formed an International Conservation Partnership to assist the ongoing efforts of the Royal Government of Bhutan to conserve their aquatic natural resources.  The project incorporates research, education/outreach and advocacy/policy activities, with the research component being focused on using remote radio-telemetry to assess Golden Mahaseer (Tor putitora) movements and habitat use.  The overall research goal is to determine how the life history of the Golden Mahaseer (i.e., its ontogenetic and seasonal movements, growth, and age-at-maturation) affects the relative risks it faces in Bhutan.  This goal will be addressed by data from the telemetry study that is revealing:

1. When and where Mahaseer spawn
2. When and where Mahaseer live during the rest of the year
3. How Mahaseer navigate high water during monsoon season
4. To what extent Mahaseer move into India, where they are potentially harvested
5. Critical habitats for each of the Mahaseer’s life history stages

The results of this study will play an important role in Bhutan’s resource conservation planning activities.