• The Chilika Development Authority (CDA) in collaboration with The Fishing Cat Project (TFCP) recently concluded the first fishing cat population estimation in Chilika.

• The total abundance of fishing cats in Chilika was found to be 176 with an estimated range of 131-237 individuals. 

• This is the world’s first population estimation of the fishing cat conducted outside the protected area network.

• The survey was conducted in two phases. Phase-I was conducted in 2021 in the 115 sq km marshland present in the north and north-eastern section of Chilika and its surrounding areas, while Phase-II was conducted in 2022 in the Parikuda side along with the coastal islands of Chilika. 

• As many as 150 camera traps were deployed and Spatially Explicit Capture-Recapture (SECR) method was used to analyse the data.

Fishing cats

• Fishing cats are found in wetlands and are listed as vulnerable under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

• Fishing cat (Felis viverrina) is a Schedule I species and deserves conservation measures of the highest accord in India like the Tiger and Elephant. 

• Its scientific name is Prionailurus viverrinus.

• It is mainly found in marshlands, mangroves, flooded forests and other wetlands. 

• In October 2020, the fishing cat was declared as the ambassador of Chilika Lake.

• The fishing cat is the state animal of West Bengal.

Chilika Lake 

• Chilika is the largest brackish water lagoon in Asia and India’s oldest Ramsar Site.

• It is an integral part of the culture of coastal Odisha. 

• It is one of the biodiversity hot spots of the country, and some rare, vulnerable and endangered species listed in the IUCN Red List of threatened animals inhabit the Lake area for at least a part of their life cycle. 

• Fed by rivers and rivulets, the water spread area of Chilika varies between 900 to 1,165 sq km during summers and monsoon respectively.

• Chilika has one of the largest extensive marsh-ecosystem. These marshes receive the maximum freshwater flow from the tributaries of Mahanadi and seasonal rivulets.

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