Indian Aquaculture

India is one of the major countries in the world that produces fish through aquaculture besides the vast potential for aquaculture development. Globally India is the second largest producer of fish in the world next to China.

Indian aquaculture has proved a six and a half fold growth with freshwater aquaculture contributing 95% of the total aquaculture production

India's aquaculture production can be classified into freshwater and brackish water production.

The freshwater aquaculture production in India comprises about 2.36 million ha of ponds and tanks and accounts for nearly 55% of the total fish production in India

The freshwater aquaculture comprises of the culture of carp fishes, culture of catfishes (air breathing and non-air breathing), culture of freshwater prawns, culture of pangasius, and culture of tilapia. In addition, in brackishwater sector, the aquaculture includes culture of shrimp varieties mainly, the native giant tiger prawn (Penaeus monodon) and exotic whitelegshrimp (Penaeus vannamei). Thus, the production of carp in freshwater and shrimps in brackishwater form the bulk of major areas of aquaculture activity.

Brackish water aquaculture in India is an age old system confined to the bheries of West Bengal and Pokkali fields along the Kerala coast .Huge area with rich resources is available in our country for brackish water fish farming. Brackish water aquaculture involves the utilization of the marginal coastal area for the culture of economically important species.

Though India has huge Aquaculture resources, only 15% of the potential water resources are utilized, implying huge potential for the growth of this sector.