Harnessing Reservoir Fisheries

India is the second-largest fish-producing country in the world. It is, in addition, now also the second-largest nation globally in aquaculture production. The country has witnessed a 92 per cent increase in the national fish production since 2013-14, which stands at a record 184 lakh tons in 2023-24. Interestingly, 75 per cent of our fish production comes from inland fisheries that include freshwater, brackish and saline resources. Reservoirs, spread over an area of more than 31.50 lakh hectares, are a major source of freshwater fisheries and aquaculture. The fish production from these water bodies is approximately 18 lakh tons.

Located primarily in eastern, central and peninsular regions, these reservoirs contribute to the livelihood of millions of fish farmers. This is especially true for the economically backwards and water-scarce regions where they play a crucial role in providing direct/indirect employment and food security through nutrition.

While Madhya Pradesh has the maximum area under reservoirs (approximately 6 lakh hectares), Tamil Nadu has the highest number, with over 8,000 reservoirs. For purposes of fisheries management, reservoirs are categorised as small (less than 1000 hectares), medium (up to 5,000 hectares) and large (more than 5,000 hectares).

A key factor in the rise of the country’s fish production is the increase in fish productivity in reservoirs to 100 kg per hectare compared to 50 kg per hectare in 2006. This has been made possible by the application of cage culture technology with sufficient stocking of quality seed backed by requisite budgetary support under flagship programmes such as Blue Revolution (BR) and the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY). While the Indian Major Carps (Catla, Rohu, Mrigal) form the core species for stocking, need-based stocking of additional species (Tilapia, Pangasius, etc) in consultation with beneficiaries is provided in the above programmes.

These reservoir cages, floating or stationary, are typically made of synthetic netting or mesh with a frame or structure for support. The mesh allows for natural water flow, ensuring oxygen and nutrient exchange with the surrounding environment. Additionally, these cages are anchored to the bottom or suspended from buoys to maintain their position and depth. This facilitates easier feeding, monitoring and disease management for the fish species cultured. Further, to promote species diversification in addition to rectangular cages, circular cages are being increasingly deployed.

Bimal Chandra Oran is a fish farmer from Saraikela District in Jharkhand who has taken up aquaculture for his livelihood in the Chandil reservoir ecosystem. As a member of the Chandil Bandh Visthapit Matsyajibhi Swalambhi Sahkar Samiti (CBVMSS), he set up two cages and was provided subsidised seed and feed inputs. This was followed by a series of capacity-building trainings to upgrade his skills. Over the years, he has cultured Tilapia and Pangasius species through the reservoir cage technology. Backed by marketing support through the cooperative society, he has been able to produce 3 tons of fish, thereby achieving an annual turnover of more than Rs 3 lakhs.

An ICAR- Central Institute of Inland Fisheries (CIFRI) study envisions that aquaculture productivity can go up to 300 kg from the current 100 kg per hectare in such reservoirs. To achieve this potential, experts suggest adopting a value chain approach through the integrated development of these reservoirs. This includes converged setting up of hatcheries, feed mills, storage sheds, ice plants, berthing platforms, auction centers, marketing retail outlets and ensuring availability of boats as well as refrigerated trucks.

To ground the above value chain approach, a cluster-based strategy is being implemented by the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) to enhance the competitiveness of the reservoir ecosystem through end-to-end solutions. In line with this strategy, recently, a reservoir cluster has been announced for the Halalai and Indra Sagar Dams in Madhya Pradesh. The effort will be, first and foremost, to identify sectoral gaps in the fisheries production, productivity, and processing capacities within this reservoir ecosystem. Critical, for instance, herein will be an assessment of the multiplicity of agencies owning the fishing rights that sometimes pose difficulty in data gathering. Without a doubt, it will also entail examining economies of scale for the local fish farmers by their aggregation through cooperatives and fish farmer producer organisations. Such reservoir clusters will be replicated in other States/ Union Territories as well.

The writer is the Secretary, Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, GoI. Views expressed are personal