The River Ravi is a meandering river that travels back and forth across its alluvial plain leaving a series of landscape scars of old river channels. During the summer monsoons (May through September), sometimes the rivers create catastrophic floods over the landscape. While some fishing can be done during this time, many fisherfolk are engaged in other agricultural activities. During the time of withdrawal of the flood waters, the old river channels are filled with water and called oxbow lakes. These form marshy reservoirs of water and aquatic resources. Fish in these areas primarily are carps and catfish, bottom dwellers that can live for an extended period in changing water temperatures and low oxygen water. These oxbow lakes are targeted for fishing during the non-monsoonal seasons and are one of the main sources of fish for the Punjabi fish markets.
