India’s river systems are not just water channels but lifelines of biodiversity and livelihoods. Among them, the River Ganga has historically supported one of the richest inland fisheries in the world. However, decades of pollution, habitat degradation, altered river flows, and overfishing have severely depleted its native fish populations. AI-generated illustrative thumbnail Under the Namami Gange Programme , the ICAR–Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute (ICAR-CIFRI) has implemented scientific river ranching to restore indigenous fish stocks while maintaining ecological balance and genetic integrity. What is Scientific River Ranching? Scientific river ranching refers to the planned release of native fish seeds into natural river systems based on ecological assessment, genetic safeguards, and long-term monitoring. Unlike conventional stocking, it focuses on ecosystem restoration rather than short-term production gains. Scale of Intervention (2017–2025) 169 r...