History Fishing in India

macchi, traditional muslim caste of fishermen - tashrih al-aqvam (1825)



a fisherman in backwaters of kerala.

fishing , aquaculture in india has long history. kautilya s arthashastra (321–300 b.c.) , king someswara s manasottara (1127 a.d.) each refer fish culture. centuries, india has had traditional practice of fish culture in small ponds in eastern india. significant advances in productivity made in state of west bengal in nineteenth century controlled breeding of carp in bundhs (tanks or impoundments river conditions simulated). fish culture received notable attention in tamil nadu (formerly state of madras) 1911, subsequently, states such west bengal, punjab, uttar pradesh, gujarat, karnataka , andhra pradesh initiated fish culture through establishment of fisheries departments. in 2006, indian central government initiated dedicated organization focussed on fisheries, under ministry of agriculture.

brackishwater farming in india age-old system confined bheries (manmade impoundments in coastal wetlands) of west bengal , pokkali (salt resistant deepwater paddy) fields along kerala coast. no additional knowledge , technology input, except of trapping naturally bred juvenile fish , shrimp seed, these systems have been sustaining production levels of between 500 , 750 kg/ha/year shrimp contributing 20 25 percent of total indian production.