Chocolate Mahseer Meghalaya’s state fish

Shillong: Meghalaya cabinet on Tuesday approved the Chocolate Mahseer (Neolissochilus hexagonolepis) as the state fish, chief minister Conrad K Sangma said.“A meeting of the cabinet held today approved the Chocolate Mahseer (Neolissochilus hexagonolepis) or ‘Khasaw’ in Khasi and ‘Na-rang’ in Garo as the state fish of Meghalaya,” Sangma said.“At present, our state does not have an officially designated state fish, unlike many other parts of the country. We have therefore decided to declare the Chocolate Mahseer as the state fish,” he added.“This fish is native to the state of Meghalaya, and the decision has also been taken with a strong focus on conservation, to protect and promote this indigenous species,” the CM said.