1

Dr. Sunil Kumar Singh, Assistant Professor, Department of Zoology, H.R. (P.G.) College,
Khalilabad, Sant Kabir Nagar, (U.P.), Mob. No. 9415261727; 8400259327; E-mail:
sunil_shrinet@rediffmail.com; sunilkzoology@gmail.com

Marine, freshwater, estuarine reservoirs and cold water

fisheries of India:
Marine water fisheries:
India has an 8,118 km long coastline stretching along 9 Maritime States and 4
Union Territories. The nine Maritime States are Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West
Bengal, Maharashtra, Odessa, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Goa. The 4 Maritime
Union Territories are Daman & Diu, Pondicherry, Lakshadweep Islands and the
Andaman & Nicobar Islands. The country has also a 0.53 million km2 Continental
Shelf and 2.02 million km2 of Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The annual potential
yield from the EEZ is estimated as 3.93 million tons of fish. The Marine Fisheries has
been playing a pivotal role in the Indian Fisheries Sector. The major marine catches
come from the coast of Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal and Maharashtra.
The important Marine Fisheries can be grouped into the following categories:
1. Surface-water Fish (Pelagic): Sardines, Anchovies, Ribbonfish, Mackerel, Seer fish,
Tuna, etc.
2. Mid-water Fish (Pelagic): Bombay duck, Cobia, Silver bellies, Horse mackerel, etc.
3. Bottom-water Fish (Demersal): Perches, Catfish, Pomfrets, Flatfish, Eels, etc.
Status of marine fisheries in India:
Fisheries are an important sector in India. It provides employment to millions
of people and contributes to food security of the country. With a coastline of over
8,000 km, an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of over 2 million sq km, and with
extensive freshwater resources, fisheries play a vital role. The gross value addition of
the fisheries and aquaculture sector during 2016-17 was Rs. 1,33,492 Crores which
is about 0.96% of the National Gross Value Added (GVA) and 5.37% to the
agricultural GVA (2016-17). During the year 2017-18, the country has exported
13,77,244 tones fish and fisheries products worth Rs. 45106.89 crore (7.08 billion
US $).
Presently India is the second largest fish producing and second largest
aquaculture nation in the world after China. The total fish production during 2017-
18 (provisional) is registered at 12.61 million metric tons (MMT) with a contribution
of 8.92 MMT from inland sector and 3.69 MMT from marine sector.
The marine fishery potential in the Indian waters have been estimated at 5.31
MMT constituting about 43.3% demersal, 49.5% pelagic and 4.3% oceanic groups.
Marine Fisheries contributes to food security and provides direct employment to over
1.5 mn fisher people besides others indirectly dependent on the sector. There are
3,432 marine fishing villages and 1,537 notified fish landing centers in 9 maritime
states and 2 union territories.
According to the CMFRI Census 2010, the total marine fisher folk population
was about 4 million comprising in 864,550 families. Nearly 61% of the fishermen
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families were under BPL category. The average family size was 4.63 and the overall
sex ratio was 928 females per 1000 males. The Indian coastline can be delineated
into 22 zones, based on the ecosystem structure and functions. The Indian boat type
ranges from the traditional catamarans, masula boats, plank-built boats, dugout
canoes, machwas, dhonis to the present day motorized fibre-glass boats, mechanized
trawlers and gillnetters. In the marine fisheries sector, there were 194,490 crafts in
the fishery out of which 37% were mechanized, 37% were motorized and 26% were
non-motorized. Out of a total of 167,957 crafts fully owned by fisher folk 53% were
non-motorized, 24% were motorized and 23% were mechanized. Among the
mechanized crafts fully owned by fishermen, 29% were trawlers, 43% were gillnetters
and 19% were do netters.
Marketing intelligence:
Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), an ICAR institute located
in Cochin, Kerala has been conducting fishery survey along the Indian coast and
estimating marine fish landings and effort expended. Gear wise, species wise, quarter
wise fish landing data from the year 1962 for each maritime state of the country are
being populated periodically at the Data Centre of CMFRI. This unique collation of
first hand data based on the FAO approved sampling design has been the backbone
of many a scientific endeavor carried out by avid fish researchers across the country
and other parts of the globe.
Having blazed an illustrious trail for more than six decades, CMFRI has
initiated a new system of field information dispensation on a near real time basis. As
the first phase of this effort, the raised landing figures and the landing centre price
range of important resources of major fishing harbors of the country are being
published here. The landing figures (in kg) indicate the quantity of selected resources
which were brought to the respective harbors during a 24 hours period starting from
12:00 noon of the first calendar day to 12:00 noon of the subsequent day. These
figures are updated at 1600 Hrs every working day on as and where available base.
Freshwater fisheries:
Indian rivers are the major source of irrigation system, drinking water and fish
as food. There are list of freshwater fish found in Indian rivers, few most popular
names of freshwater fishes of India are Rohu, Catla, Mahseer, Magur and Vaam.
Around 70% of India’s fish production comes from inland waters, of which nearly
65% comes from aquaculture. Out of the total inland aquaculture production, Indian
Major Carps are the most cultured freshwater fish followed by Exotic Carps, Minor
Carps, Catfish and Trout. There are around 1300 Carp Hatcheries in India that
produced seed and supply to fish farmers.

The Inland Fisheries of India may be classified as:

i. Lacustrine Fisheries (Lakes and Reservoirs)
ii. Riverine Fisheries (Rivers and Streams)
iii. Estuarine Fisheries (Estuaries and Backwaters)
iv. Floodplain and Wetland Fisheries v. Coldwater Fisheries
v. Ornamental Fisheries
vi. Sport Fisheries
vii. Culture Fisheries (Aquaculture)
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Carps:
Carps form the mainstay of aquaculture practices in India, contributing over
85% of the total aquaculture production. Out of 266 carp species available in the
Indian region, about 34 carp species are economical and are produced mainly from
capture fishery, while less than 10 carp species are produced from both the culture
and capture fisheries in the country. India is called the “Carp Country” since carps
have been cultured since ancient times and been a relished delicacy in the country.
The carps which are native to the Indus-Ganges River Systems/ Indo-Gangetic
Plains of India are referred to as the Gangetic Carps / Indian Major Carps (IMC),
comprising of Catla, Rohu and Mrigal that contribute 60% of total Carps production.
The carps that were introduced from other countries are referred to as Exotic Carps
such as Silver Carp, Grass Carp and Common Carp. Besides the Major Carps, there
are also smaller carps often referred to as Minor Carps such as Reba (Cirrhinus reba),
Bata (Labeo bata), Fringe-lipped carp (Labeo fimbriatus), Calbasu (Labeo calbasu),
white carp (Cirrhinus cirrhosus) and Cauvery carp (Labeo kontius).
Catfish:
Catfishes are a diverse group of ray-finned fish named for their prominent
barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers (but not all catfish have prominent barbell).
Although catfish can generally be found in faster-flowing rivers and streams, some
catfish species have adapted to living in shallow salt-water environments while other
catfish species live their lives in caves underground. Most catfish are bottom feeders
as they are negatively buoyant (which means that they usually sink rather than float
due to a reduced gas bladder and a heavy, bony head). The air-breathing catfishes
such as Magur and Singhi inhabit shallow waters, withstand low oxygen conditions
and are referred to as "live fishes”; they are marketed live and fetch higher price.
Fish production in India has increased doubled between 1990 and 2010 and
today India is a major supplier of fish in the world. Shrimps, Crab, Prawn, giant tiger
prawn, Indian white prawn with aquaculture fish farming is a rapidly growing
industry in India. There are five main fishing harbors in India Mangalore, Kochi,
Vishakhapatnam, Chennai and Raichak in Kolkata.
Estuarine reservoirs:
An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or
more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea.
Various estuarine systems spreading over 14.22 lakh hectare form an
important component of the fisheries resources of the country. The fisheries of
estuaries are above subsistence level and contribute significantly to the production.
The average fish yield varies from 45 to 75 kg per ha. Estuarine fishery is the
mainstay during the monsoon season when fishing in the sea, because of turbulent
conditions and stormy weather, gets suspended. Food chains in the estuaries differ
from the open sea in several aspects. A greater part of the organic production in
estuaries is controlled by larger plants (macro algae, mangroves, etc.) rather than
phytoplankton. As consumers of the organic matter, zooplankton becomes less
important than the suspension and deposit feeders. Organic detritus forms a major
source of food for the estuarine communities. Nearly 49% of Indian marine fish catch
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originate from estuaries which provide indication of the dependence of marine species
on estuaries in early life history.
The National Commission on Agriculture stated that “under the term estuarine
fisheries is included the fishery output from the mouth of rivers, the large brackish
water lakes, the innumerable tidal creeks and backwaters along the coast and the
coastal canal system. Fishes of brackish water are usually marine which can tolerate
wide salinity changes and are called euryhaline. These are clupeids, mullets,
catfishes, perches and prawns. Mugil cephalus forms a large part of the estuarine
fishery. In addition, species that are not of commercial value also contribute to the
fishery of brackish water. They include gar fishes, halfbeaks, eels, flatfishes, sharks,
rays and oysters. Some migratory fishes that migrate to freshwater from sea or vice
versa are also included. They include Hilsa ilisha, Polynemus spp, Pama pama,
Tachysurus spp, Pangasius spp and the prawn, Macrobrachium spp.
The major estuarine systems in India are the Hooghly-Matlah estuarine system
in West Bengal; the Rushikulya estuary in Orissa; the Godavari and the Krishna in
Andhra Pradesh; the Adyar, the Cauvery, Vellar and Vaigai estuaries in Tamil Nadu,
the Narmada and the Tapti in Gujarat, Asthamudi in Kerala, Kalinadi in Karnataka
and Mandovi – Zuari system of Goa. The important brackish water lakes of the
country are the Chilka lake in Orissa, the Pulicut lake and Killai backwaters in Tamil
Nadu and Cochin and Vembanad backwaters in Kerala. Though the fisheries of
various estuarine systems have been studied in the last two decades, a continuous
monitoring of the fisheries is done only in the Hooghly-Matlah estuarine system, the
largest estuarine complex in India.
Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime
environments known as ecotone. Estuaries are subject both to marine influences
such as tides, waves, and the influx of saline water and to riverine influences such as
flows of freshwater and sediment. The mixing of seawater and freshwater provides
high levels of nutrients both in the water column and in sediment, making estuaries
among the most productive natural habitats in the world.
Most existing estuaries formed during the Holocene epoch with the flooding of
river-eroded or glacially scoured valleys when the sea level began to rise about
10,000–12,000 years ago. Estuaries are typically classified according to
their geomorphologic features or to water-circulation patterns. They can have many
different names, such as bays, harbors, lagoons, inlets, or sounds, although some of
these water bodies do not strictly meet the above definition of an estuary and could
be fully saline.
Many estuaries suffer degeneration from a variety of factors including soil
erosion, deforestation, overgrazing, overfishing and the filling of
wetlands. Eutrophication may lead to excessive nutrients from sewage and animal
wastes; pollutants including heavy metals, polychlorinated
biphenyls, radionuclides and hydrocarbons from sewage inputs; and diking or
damming for flood control or water diversion.
The word "estuary" is derived from the Latin word aestuarium meaning tidal
inlet of the sea, which in itself is derived from the term aestus, meaning tide. There
have been many definitions proposed to describe an estuary. The most widely
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accepted definition is: "a semi-enclosed coastal body of water, which has a free
connection with the open sea, and within which seawater is measurably diluted with
freshwater derived from land drainage". However, this definition excludes a number
of coastal water bodies such as coastal lagoons and brackish seas. A more
comprehensive definition of an estuary is "a semi-enclosed body of water connected
to the sea as far as the tidal limit or the salt intrusion limit and receiving freshwater
runoff; however the freshwater inflow may not be perennial, the connection to the sea
may be closed for part of the year and tidal influence may be negligible". This broad
definition also includes fjords, lagoons, river mouths, and tidal creeks. An estuary is
a dynamic ecosystem having a connection to the open sea through which the sea
water enters with the rhythm of the tides. The seawater entering the estuary is
diluted by the fresh water flowing from rivers and streams. The pattern of dilution
varies between different estuaries and depends on the volume of freshwater, the tidal
range, and the extent of evaporation of the water in the estuary.
Cold water fisheries of India:
Mahaseer, Snow trout and Indian hill trout are the principle cold water
fish species inhabiting the mountain waters of India. Some of the important species
of mahaseer are Tor tor (Hamilton). It is characterized by head shorter than the depth
of the body. Coldwater fishes occupy an important place amongst the freshwater
fishes of India. The coldwater fisheries deal with fisheries activity in water where
temperature of water ranges from 5 to 20 degrees centigrade. The gills of cold water
fish are greatly reduced and the gill opening is smaller in size for adaptation to cold
temperatures. Important coldwater fishes of India are Mahseers such as Tor putitora,
T. tor, T. khudree, T. mosal, Snow Trout such as Schizothorax richardsonii and
Schizothoraichthys esocinus, Mountain Trout such as Barilius vagra, B. bendelisis,
other fish such as Glyptothorax sp., Garra sp., etc.
Cold water Fisheries occupy an important place amongst the freshwater fishes
of India. The cold water fisheries deal with fisheries activity in water where
temperature of water ranges from 5 to 25 degrees centigrade. The water temperature
under cold water fisheries should not be more than 25°C even in summer.
Such conditions in India occur in Himalayan and peninsular regions. India has
significant resources in terms of upland rivers/streams, high and low altitudes of
natural lakes in addition to man-made reservoirs existing both in Himalayan regions
and Western Ghats.
There are 16 big and small rivers in Himalayan and peninsular regions having
an area of about 3885 km. Apart from these rivers area of natural lakes is 20500
hectares.
The man made reservoirs are spread over an area of 265000 hectares. Much
research work has been done in connection with cold water fisheries. Fish culture
has been successfully carrying on in certain lakes and reservoirs of J & K, Himachal
Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and
Kerala.
Indigenous cold water fishes:
Mahaseer, Snow trout and Indian hill trout are the principle cold water fish
species inhabiting the mountain waters of India. Mahaseer fishery of cold water: It is
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one of the major game fishes of Himalayas. How ever, it has not received attention as
exotic fishes in India. It is generally found in large sizes and abundant in quantities
from mountain streams and rivers. Some of the important species of mahaseer are:
1) Tor tor (Hamilton): It is characterized by head shorter than the depth of the
body. It attains a length of 1.5 m and occurs along the foot hills of Himalayas from
Kashmir to Assam and in the river Narmada and Tapti. It is insectivorous in its
juvenile stage but becomes herbivorous when adult. It has a prolonged breeding
season from July to December. The eggs are laid in batches. It constitutes the major
fisheries of rivers Narmada and Tapti.
2) Tor putitora (Hamilton): It is commonly called as golden or common Himalayan
Mahaseer. It has head longer than the depth of the body. It occurs in Himalayas from
Kashmir to Darjeeling hills. This fish breeds thrice in a year, firstly during winter
months (January to February), subsequently in summer (May –June) and lastly in
August – September.
3) Tor mosal (Sykes): Mosal Mahaseer has head more or less equal to the depth of
the body. It is found in the Mountain Rivers on foot hills of Himalayas, Kashmir,
Assam and Sikkim.
4) Tor mosal mahanadicus: It resembles the mosal mahaseer in all aspects except,
it is found in the river Mahanadi and that its head having small eyes is often higher
than the depth of the body.
5) Tor khudree (Sykes): It is characterized by its head being as long as the depth of
the body. It is found in Orissa and throughout peninsular India. It attains a length of
about 1.3 m.
6) Acrossocheilus hexagonolepis (Mc Clelland): It is commonly known as copper or
chocolate Mahaseer. It has an oblong and compressed body with an obtusely
rounded and prominent mouth. The colour of the body is deep bluish grey with
darkish fins. These are mainly distributed Upper Ondia, Assam and Cauvery river
inTamil Nadu. It attains a length over 60 cm. It differs from Tort or in having
hexagonal shape of its scales and the thin lips.
7) Snow trouts: Snow trouts are chiefly represented by two genera, namely
Scizothorax and Schizothoraicthys.
Schizothoraichthys: It is represented by three species in Himalayas viz. S.
richadsonii, S. Plagistomus and S. molesworthi. These are found in snow fed streams
of Assam, estern Himalayas, Sikkim, Nepal, Kashmir. The genera is represented by S.
esocinus, S. progastus and S. kumaonensis, of these, the S. esocinus is found in
Kashmir and Ladhak, S. progastus in the hill streams of Ganges at Hardwar and
Darjeeling and S. kumaoneus in Nainital.
The Indian hill trout: Berilius is known as Indian hill trout. It is represented by four
species, namely B. bendelisis, B. bola, B. vagra and B. gatensis.
Exotic cold water fishes:
The exotic fishes found in the hill streams of India chiefly include the trouts,
mirror carps, crucian carps and tenches.
1. Trouts: Exotic trouts in India are represented by three species, two of them
belonging to genera Salmo and one to Onchorhynchus.
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(a). Salmo gairdneri gairdneri: It is commonly known as rainbow trout or steel

head it is a native of North American Pacific water and was imported to India in1907.
Presently, these are one of the most successful trouts of Indian waters for cultural
purpose because these adapt easily in comparison to the brown trout’s. Moreover,
they promptly feed on artificial food and can withstand the high temperature and O2
depleted water as well. Their incubation period is shorter and the rate of development
and growth is faster. Upon being well fed, they attain a length of 400-500 mm in
three years and weight about 5.5 kg. The body is elongate head short and mouth
comparatively small. The color of the body is variable, depending on sex and
environment. It is chiefly a river fish but is cultivated in confined water as well .It
does not breed in ponds but artificial fertilization is possible. The fry feed mainly on
planktons but half grown and adults are carnivorous. It is a game fish too.
(b). Salmo trutta fario: It is commonly called as brown trout. It is a native of the
mountains water of central and Western Europe. This fish was the first one
reproduced and reared artificially in India. Although it was introduced to mountain
waters of all hills, it could establish itself only in the streams and farms at Kashmir
and in river beas in Punjab. It feeds upon the crustaceans and large living prey at the
bottom. It attains a maximum length about 46.5 cm, depending upon the natural
food availability. During breeding seasons, the fish swims up streams to spawn on
gravel bedded shallows of fast current water.