Aquaculture practices in Northeast India: Current status and future directions

The northeast region of India, comprised of the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, and Tripura, is blessed with rich biodiversity and fisheries resources. With more than 90% of population being fish eaters, there is heavy demand for fish but a wide gap exists between supply and demand. The region produces over 0.214 million tons of fish annually, with almost 50% coming from aquaculture. Aquaculture development in the region is taking place at a rapid rate. However, efforts are necessary to increase the present level of production through both horizontal and vertical expansion. The region has rivers, coldwater streams, floodplain wet lands, reservoirs, lakes, ponds, paddy fields, and mini-barrages to support large-scale aquaculture activities, which can not only produce fish to meet regional requirements, but also export the surplus. This paper describes and discusses the current status of aquaculture, production level, constraints, and future directions towards achieving “fish for all” in the region.