Last year’s floods destroyed 235 hatcheries of trout fish in different areas of the Swat district, inflicting a loss of around Rs 1100 million to the business of one of the favourite menu items in the region, said the President of Swat Trout Fish Farm Association, Mutawakkal Khan.

While talking to media on Tuesday, he said, the floods in Swat, totally destroyed 200 trout fish farms and restaurants attached to this business while 35 farms sustained heavy damages. He said hundreds of workers of trout fish hatcheries were rendered jobless due to flood devastations while people associated with the supply of the fish to the other districts also lost their jobs.

He said from these hatcheries trout fish were being supplied to the markets in the rest of the country however due to the destruction of the trout fish sector in Swat, the supply of these fish has reached a minimum level and its price skyrocketed. He demanded the government and international institutions help the trout farm owners in reestablishing their fish hatcheries and businesses to save this important sector.