In a unique step to help students and researchers, Vandana Srivastava, a Ph.D holder on systematic survey of different kinds of fishes in and around the state, has written a book on the fish fauna of the region -- the first of its type in the state.

The book, titled Fish Fauna of North Chotanagpur Region, Jharkhand (Rs. 610), was released by Vice Chancellor of Vinoba Bhave University, Mukul Narayan Deo, who termed her work as ‘unique’.

With no other document or research present in Jharkhand on the topic, Srivastava said her book can be used by students of any university and now she is sending a copy to several institutions.

According to her, when she was completing her postgraduate course in Zoology, there was a huge part in the syllabus that focused on fishes but only one rare book was available to her and her batchmates.

“The problem I had faced with 150 other students of my batch at that time inspired me to write a book on this subject. For 20 years, I kept researching on the fish fauna of seven districts under the North Chhotanagpur commissionerate, before coming up with my book,” the block program officer of Jharkhand Education Project told The Telegraph Online.

The book contains all basic fundamental accounts of fishes of Jharkhand including their 57 species found in Hazaribagh, Dhanbad, Bokaro, Ramgarh, Giridih and Chatra. It also has detailed accounts of every fish fauna including their scientific name, identification, life cycle, systematic position and economic importance, which are part of the syllabi running in Ichthyology, fish and fisheries at PG level under different universities. This book also includes content regarding various scopes of employment in the field of fish and fisheries so that students and researchers can go about with their careers.

Srivastava said that she has also included various government schemes and policies to further help the readers.

Recently, the department of fisheries sent details of fishes found in Jharkhand and officials took my help. Even the director of the state department talked to me and asked to include five more species in this book which will then cover the details of all the fishes found in the state,” she said.