Kolkata: A consignment of more than 550 rare fish, suspected to be also containing the rare Channa Barca or the Barca snakehead, a species found only in the upper Brahmaputra river basin, has been seized at the international cargo complex at Kolkata airport while being smuggled on Saturday. Sources said one person — a Baruipur resident — has been detained in this connection. Officials suspect the consignment also has another extremely rare freshwatrer fish, the Borna snakehead, also known as the Chel snakehead. This rare freshwater fish is native to the Chel river in northern Bengal and was recently re-discovered after almost 85 years.Barca snakehead is critically endangered in Bangladesh. In India, it is considered data-deficient by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. It is also in high demand among aquarists, protected under Schedule II of the country’s wildlife protection act and a piece can fetch lakhs in the international pet and aquarium market. It’s widely regarded by scientists and conservationists as being on the brink of extinction in the wild within the upper Brahmaputra river basin.Sources said that based on a tip-off, the raid was carried out by the state forest dept’s Wildlife Crime Control Cell at the cargo complex. A resident of Baruipur has also been detained in this connection. Sources said he was heading to Kuala Lumpur on a Malaysia Airlines flight. He’s being questioned.A source further stated that the detained person has two earlier cases — in 2025 and this May — while dealing in the same fish which were allegedly procured from Assam’s Orang National Park. The dealer, through whom the consignment was being smuggled out, is also being tracked.On Barca snakehead, a source said this is a relatively large snakehead, reaching up to a length of 105 cm (3 ft). Its rarity, behavior and large size makes it unsuitable for most aquariums. It mostly inhabits wetlands, often near the margins, but can also be seen in riverine habitats. The overall conservation status of the barca snakehead is poorly known, but it appears to be a scarce or rare species, as per IUCN observation. The species is highly carnivorous, feeding mostly on fish.Snakeheads (Channidae) are predatory freshwater fishes represented by more than 50 species in Asia (Channa) and Africa (Parachanna). In Asia alone, 37 snakehead species are known, many of which are exported as ornamental fish.
