A Staff Reporter
DIMAPUR, FEBRUARY 17
With promotion of angling as a major sport as their main objective to promote tourism in Nagaland, the Anglers’ Association Nagaland (AAN) is all set to organize their first angling festival in Nagaland.
The Tzuzha Angling Festival at Doyang, under Wokha district will be a two-day festival during which in anglers from all over the state are expected to participate and be a part of the scheduled fishing festival.
To update the community about the forthcoming festival, the organization gave a press conference at the Alaphara Group Conference Hall in Dimapur on Friday.
During the conference, the president of the AAN, Issac Zhimomi highlighted the aims and objectives of the AAN and gave details the upcoming festival. He said that the AAN has the motto ‘Where passion meets conservation’ and through it, the organization aims to create awareness among villagers whose livelihood is ‘fishing.’ Through the festival, the association wishes to create public awareness about conservation of indigenous fish populations in Nagaland, Zhimomi said.
The president also said that through the sport of angling, the AAN aims to educate and promote the sport ‘which is not very much in existence in the state’ at least not currently.
The general secretary of the AAN, Phukato Sumi, also said during the conference that the northeast region in general and the state of Nagaland in particular have rich water bodies that are still untouched. Angling, which is an internationally recognized sport, is still not common among the Naga people, he explained.
The AAN aims to arbitrate and oppose the use of chemicals, electricity and explosives for fishing in the rivers, lakes and pond in Nagaland as it not only pollutes the water body but extinct the endangered water beings.
The association also aims to oppose and protect the river systems of NagaIand from any form of pollution that are detrimental to marine life and indigenous fish populations while teaching the villagers the advantages of ‘angling.’
It was highlighted during the conference that the AAN also aims to educate the villagers about ‘healthy practices of fishing.’ Villagers depend on fishing for their livelihood without much education about best practices.
Thorough the festival, the AAN plans to improve the livelihood of the villagers while generating a better income and employment.
The members of AAN also made clear that the group was in no way trying to stop the fishing business but solely to convey a sustainable way of fishing.
AAN is a registered association with more than 600 registered members.
A registration fee for the event is Rs. 500. It will be charged for entry to the festival. Various other entertainment activities such as music, exhibitions, bonfire, and angling competitions will mark the two-day fishing extravaganza.
Winners of various competitions will be rewarded with gifts and certificates.
The Tzuzha Angling Festival will commence on March 11. Parliamentary Secretary for Fisheries, Printing & Stationery Shetoyi Sumi and Deputy Commissioner Wokha will be the special guests.
What is Angling?
Angling is a method of fishing by means of an “angle” (fish hook). The hook is usually attached to a fishing line and the line is often attached to a fishing rod. Fishing rods are usually fitted with a fishing reel that functions as a mechanism for storing, retrieving and paying out the line. The hook itself can be dressed with lures or bait. A bite indicator such as a float, and a weight or sinker is sometimes used.
Angling is the principal method of sport fishing, but commercial fisheries also use angling methods such as long-lining or trolling. Catch and release fishing is increasingly practiced by recreational fishermen. In many parts of the world, size limits apply to certain species, meaning fish below and/or above a certain size must, by law, be released.
