Introduction and resources of

fish in India
Date : 11/11/19
 Introduction
 Fishing in India is a major industry in its coastal states ,
employing over 14 million people.
 Fish production in India has increased more than tenfold
since its independence in 1947.
 According to the Food and Agricultural organization (FAO)
of the United Nations, fish output in India doubled between 1990
and 2010.
India's fresh water resources consist of 29000 kms of
rivers, 3.15 million hectares of minor and major reservoirs,
0.19 million hectares of backwater and lagoons, and about
0.2 million hectares of flood plain wetlands and water
bodies.
Despite rapid growth in total fish production, a fish
farmers’ average annual production in India is 2 metric
tonnes/person.
 India is a major supplier of fish in the world.

 In 2006 the country exported over 600,000 metric

tonnes of fish, to some 90 countries, earning over
$1.8 billion.

 Shrimps are one of the major varieties exported. The

giant tiger prawns(Penaeus monodon) is the dominant
species chosen for aquaculture, followed by the Indian
white prawn(Fenneropenaeus indicus).
 Shrimp production from coastal aquaculture during 2004
stood at approximately 120,000 tonnes.
 Marine and freshwater catch fishing combined with
aquaculture fish farming is a rapidly growing industry
in India.

 In 2008 India was the sixth largest producer of marine

and freshwater capture fisheries, and the second
largest aquaculture farmed fish producer in the world.

 Fish as food—both from fish farms and catch

fisheries—offers India one of the easiest and fastest
way to address malnutrition and food security.
 Economic benefit

 Fishing in India contributed over 1 % of India's annual GDP

in 2008.
 The country's rich marine and inland water resources,
fisheries and aquaculture offer an attractive and
promising sector for employment, livelihood, and food
security. Fish products from India are well received by
almost half of world's countries, creating export-driven
employment opportunities in India.
 States rank in fish
production
Rank State Total production
(metric tonnes)

1 West Bengal 1,447,260

2 Andra Pradesh 1,010,830
3 Gujrat 7,21,910
4 Kerala 667,330
5 Tamilnadu 559,360
6 Maharashtra 556,450
7 Orissa 349,480

8 UttarPradesh 325,950
9 Bihar 319,100
10 Karnataka 297,690
 Resources of fish
The fisheries sector is an important player in the overall
socio-economic development of India.

Fisheries resources:
 Marine , inland fisheries and aquaculture constitute the
main components of fisheries sector in India.
 Aquaculture is practiced in both fresh and brackish
waters.
 Marine fisheries

After declaration of the Exclusive

Economic Zone (EEZ) in 1977, the oceanic resources available
to India are estimated at 2.02 million sq. km, comprising
0.86 million sq. km (42.6 % of the total) on the west coast,
0.56 million sq. km (27.7%) on the east coast and 0.60
million sq. km (29.7%) around the Andaman and Nicobar
Islands to 530 000 sq. km of which 71 percent area is
available in the Arabian Sea (west coast) and the remaining
29 percent in the Bay of Bengal (east coast).
 Inland fisheries

 The inland capture fisheries resources of the country

comprise a maze of rivers, canals, estuaries,
floodplain lakes, wetlands, lagoons, upland lakes and
reservoirs.
 The river system includes 14 major and 44 medium
rivers, innumerable tributaries . With a combined length
of 45 000 km and 20 000 sq. km of catchment area, the
country’s riverine resources provide one of the richest
fish germplasm of the world.
 Aquaculture

 Freshwater aquaculture
activity is prominent in the
eastern part of the country, particularly the states of
West Bengal, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh with new areas
coming under culture in the states of Punjab, Haryana,
Assam & Tripura.
 Brackish water aquaculture is mainly concentrated on
the coasts of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Orissa and
West Bengal.
Types of Indian and English names of fish:

 Rawas: Indian Salmon Fish

 Rane : Red Snapper Fish
 Gobro: Rock Cod
 Rohu : Greas carp Fish
 Murdoshi : Lady Fish
 Pomfret : Butter Fish; can be substituted with cat fish
 Surmai : King Fish
 Sangtam : Cat Fish (A fresh water fish)
 Shevto : Muliet Fish
 Bangda : Mackerel
 Sardines : Are small fish
 Hilsa Fish : a fresh water fish; can be substituted with cod fish
 Bangra or Bangda Machli - Mackerel (fish)
 Barramundi machli - Giant Sea Perch Fish
 Boalee - Shark, fresh water
 Boi or Parshey machli - Mullet Fish
 Bombil or Bumallo, a small fish - Bombay Duck (Fish)
 Chandava Machli - Pomfret,silver
 Chandwa or Saranga or Halva or Poplait Machli - Pomfret Fish
 Chura or Choora or Toona machli - Tuna Fish
 Gobaro - Rock Cod (Lotella rhacina)
 Halva or Saranga or Chandwa or Poplait Machli - Pomfret Fish
 Hilsa machli - Indian Shad fish or Ilish
 Jhinga or Chingri or Chemen or Sungat - Prawn
 Kandere Machli - Sawfish