The exodus of migrant workers has hit fish production in Rajasthan with contractors staring at huge losses. For Bisalpur dam, which produces two tonnes of fish daily and fetches Rs 2 crore a month, the season will be a complete washout as most of the fishermen who hailed from UP and Bihar have gone to their states. Around 500 people worked in the dam for fishing activities. Most of them belonged to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. But since they have left, fishing has been stopped completely. For us, the season ends on June 15, which means it’s a complete washout, said Shamim Ahmad Khan, who holds the fishing licences for Bisalpur, Rana Pratap Sagar in Kota and Motipura dam in Bhilwara. Shamim now pins his hopes on the next season that starts from October, but there is no certainty that the workers will return in time. But unavailability of workers is just one of the problems the licence holders are battling with. Devendra Singh Shekhawat of Rajasthan Fish Cultivation Development Committee said that routine processes of renewal of licences and new auctions have been marred with indecisiveness of fisheries department. About 50% of the fishing licence renewals have run into problem and the department is not considering the lockdown difficulties when all the shops and establishments in the country were closed making payments impossible. We wanted some relief not only in licence fees but also in the renewal charges that requires contractors to pay 12% more every year. But instead of relief, there is harassment, Shekhawat said. Moreover, the department has failed to auction those dams or water bodies for fishing whose licence period of five years expired. TOI tried to speak to about four senior officials in fisheries department, but none of them picked the calls. The data available on fisheries department is nine years old. After the coronavirus outbreak, there was sharp fall in demand as people preferred not to eat non-veg. Some of the contractors said they have written to the chief minister about their plight, but they are still awaiting a response. Of the total fish production in Rajasthan, about 50% is sold in Delhi, and 25% goes to neighbouring states, while the rest 25% meets the demand in the state.