Synopsis India has vast aquatic resources with varied eco-climatic zones, which harbour a rich fish germ plasm resource. Out of 20,000 species of fishes known so far the world over 11% are in our country, About 2200 freshwater fish species have been reported by the National Bureau of Fish Genetic resources out of which 73 species (3.32%) are found in coldwater, 544 (24.72%) in warm freshwater, 143 (6.51%) in brackish water and 1440 (65.45%) in our vast marine waters (Das, 1994).  Available statistics show that India has vast potential for fishery resources and about 29,000 km length of rivers and about 1,13,000 km of canals, about 1.75 million ha of identified water spread in the form of reservoirs and about one million ha in the form of lakes and ponds (Dehadrai, 1987).  In this invaluable aquatic resource the fishes of the family Cyprinidae comprising Carps form an important constituent.  The Mahseer fishes belonging to this family differ in their size, flavour, activity from the true caps of Europe.  It occupies the most important place among the Game fishes of India.  The very name Mahseer invokes nostalgic memories of limitless pleasure of angling for the fish in calm, cool and dales in the mountains of Himalaya, the Western and Eastern Ghats of our country. A good number of game fish lovers and enthusiasts would vouchsafe for the thrills they have enjoyed in hooking a ten pounder and also of the fellows, which gave them a fight and ran away.  Innumerable records are known of landings of large sized mahseers and the challenges they posted to get them.  The thrill when a big one swallows your bait and the 12-pound line whirrs away into the rapids leaving you gasping in excitement is an unparalleled and inexplicable experience.  Records of Mahseers upto to a length of 1.7 meters and weighing nearly a quintal or so are known (Thomas, 1897; Burton, 1940).  The Putitor Mahseer or the Golden Mahseer is known to reach a size of 2.7 meters in length.  "Mussullah" of the Decan has tilted the scales at 54.1 kg in Karnataka rivers (Burton, 1945, Hora, 1943).