SRINAGAR: A PhD scholar from Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K) has secured an international research grant of 6,500 US Dollars from the United States-based Wild Animal Initiative for a study on the critically endangered Kashmir Loach, an endemic fish species found in the Valley.
The grant has been awarded to support the project titled “Assessing Behavioural and Physiological Welfare Indicators for the Kashmir Loach (Triplophysa kashmirensis)”, with Dr Syed Talia Mushtaq serving as Principal Investigator and research scholar Misba Rehman as the lead applicant.
According to the university, the project aims to generate scientific evidence on the behavioural and physiological welfare indicators of the Kashmir Loach to support science-based conservation and management strategies for the species, which is considered critically endangered.
Vice-Chancellor of SKUAST-K, Prof Nazir Ahmad Ganai, congratulated the research team and said the achievement reflects the growing global recognition of research being undertaken at the university. He said the grant would further strengthen SKUAST-K’s commitment to impactful scientific research and biodiversity conservation.
Dean, Faculty of Fisheries, Prof Farooz Ahmad Bhat, described the funding as a significant achievement, stating that the project addresses an important yet relatively unexplored area of fish welfare and conservation research.
Head of the Division of Fisheries Resource Management, Dr Tasaduq Hussain Shah, said the international grant highlights the scientific merit and increasing relevance of research being carried out by the division.
Expressing gratitude for the support, Misba Rehman said the funding would help facilitate innovative research aimed at improving understanding of the conservation and welfare requirements of the Kashmir Loach.
University officials said the award underscores SKUAST-K’s growing international profile in the fields of biodiversity conservation and sustainable aquatic resource research and demonstrates the institution’s expanding contribution to global scientific knowledge.
