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UPSC Prelims 1994 · Environment · Species Watch
Which of the following fish are bred exclusively in the cold regions of India? I. Catla II. Tinca III. Bhekti IV. Trout
- (a) I and II
- (b) I and IV
- (c) II and IV
- (d) III and IV
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: (c) II and IV
Tinca (tench) and trout are cold-water fish bred in the Himalaya and Nilgiris.
The idea
Fish are cold-blooded and each kind suits a water temperature. Cold water holds more oxygen, and trout need a lot of it, so they live only in cold, clear, fast streams. Carps like catla do well in the warm, still ponds of the plains.
Cold hill streams: trout, tinca, mahseer → Warm ponds of the plains: catla, rohu, mrigal → Coastal and estuarine water: bhekti
Why the others are wrong
(a) Catla is a warm-water carp of the plains.
(b) Catla is a warm-water carp.
(d) Bhekti (barramundi) is a warm coastal fish.
Also know
Brown and rainbow trout were brought to India by the British and are raised in Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and the Nilgiris. Catla, rohu and mrigal are the three Indian major carps and are grown together in one pond.
🔒 Cold-water fish: trout, mahseer, tinca. Warm-water: catla, rohu, mrigal.