Nepal’s native fish diversity in the honey trap of invasive species

It has been around 50 years since Gyan Bahadur Jalari began fishing in Phewa, the biggest lake in Nepal’s tourism capital, Pokhara . How many fish he has caught so far is apparently a foolish question, but Jalari, a member of the local tribe whose ancestors survived by fishing in the lakes and rivers, also finds it difficult to remember how many fish species he has hunted so far.

“Sahar, chhadme, rewa, phageta, bhitta, baam, katle, kaande…” Jalari names them in his vernacular, one after another.