ABSTRACT
The total fish production during 2019–2020 is recorded at 14.15 million tons. The inland fishery sector contributes more than 73% of total production. Coldwater fisheries occupy a key place among India’s freshwater fishes, contributing significantly to nutritional security and job creation in rural hilly areas. More than 1.40 lakh fishermen in India directly depend on coldwater fisheries in hilly areas. Manipur has the highest fish population with 47,711 fishers’ population. Total fry production is 4,388.9 fish fry in hilly states in which Manipur produces the highest fish seed with 2494.8 lakh fish fry production. In 2019–2020, total coldwater fish production was estimated at 1.07 lakh tons; Manipur has the largest share of 32,000 tons. It also observed that ecotourism based on fisheries is a sustainable resource use option and a means of environmental conservation. In Jammu and Kashmir, the annual total cost and gross revenue per farm were estimated to be Rs. 2.36 lakh per farm and Rs. 4.30 lakh per raceway, with a benefitcost ratio of 1.83, indicating the business economic viability. In Sikkim, a trout raceway of 51 m3, which costs around 1.20 lakhs, has been observed to produce 500 kg of trout fish at an average price of 800 per kg, yielding an income of 4 lakhs. The net profit from a single raceway would come to ₹ 2.7 lakhs, which is a very venturing and reasonable profit to the farmers. 36Major challenges in coldwater fish farming have been stated available water resources for culture, unawareness of fish farming, lack of facilities like cold storage, quick transport, and other marketing facilities, and lack of modern technological knowledge.
