Derek Dsouza – We Are River People

Mahseer is the common name for several species of the carp family . Mahseer are found throughout southern Asia, from Afghanistan to Vietnam. The Indian subcontinent ‘s freshwater rivers and lakes are prime habitat for at least twelve species of mahseer, which can grow to several feet in length and weigh over 100 pounds. Mahseer are important food fish for people and prized as a gamefish for fly anglers from around the world.

For Dsouza, it was the lure of catching these magnificent fish which led him to his work as a river conservationist. Growing up in Bangalore(now formally known as Bangalaru), Dsouza spent time growing up at his grandparents’ house in Mangalore on the southern Indian coast. There he spent time climbing trees and exploring and fishing  in a nearby river. After attending university , Dsouza worked in the tech field in India, the US and the UK. In the US, he met his American-born wife and, after several years living in California, they moved back to India where they live with their two children.

It was in the UK though that Dsouza discovered fishing, a passion he brought back with him when he returned to Bangalore. While fishing on the Cauvery River one day, he hooked a mahseer so big it broke his rod. Like the fish, Dsouza was hooked.

As he pursued mahseer across India, Dsouza learned that the fish are threatened by indiscriminate fishing techniques such as the use of dynamite, pollution, competition from the introduction of non-native species, and the loss of migratory habitat in rivers due to dams. He came to understand that the best way to address these threats was through community-based conservation, working with local communities to develop an appreciation for the value of mahseer and their river habitats and an understanding of the threats to them. Also, as a father himself, Dsouza recognized that educating children and their parents about mahseer and rivers promises the best path to long-term conservation.

Dsouza joined the Mahseer Trust as its representative in India. Based in the UK, the Mahseer Trust is a research-based, data driven conservation organization. In 2017, it organized the first conference in India to focus on communities that depend on mahseer and are impacted by the threats to the fish and its habitat. Dsouza believes that working with communities to develop programs that bring economic benefits, such as promoting fly angling tourism to these communities, is key to conserving mahseer and the rivers on which they and the communities depend.

While Dsouza says there are many challenges to conserving mahseer, particularly the push for more dams in order to provide water security and hydropower, he is hopeful about the future. He has seen that, when steps are taken to reduce threats such as  river pollution and dynamite fishing, the rivers respond by producing larger mahseer.  When we take the right steps to address threats to nature, Dsouza says, “Nature finds a way of healing itself.”