New Delhi, May 23 (IANS) India’s total fish production reached approximately 197.75 lakh tonnes during 2024–25, with cold-water fisheries contributing nearly 3 per cent of inland fish production, the government said on Saturday.

National cold-water fish production currently stands at around 7,000 metric tonnes, while trout production alone has increased nearly 1.8 times over the last decade to about 6,000 metric tonnes in 2024–25, according to Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.

Species such as rainbow trout, golden mahseer, and snow trout are cultivated using specialized infrastructure including hatcheries, raceways, RAS, biofloc systems, and cold chain facilities.

Cold-water fisheries flourish across Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Meghalaya, and Nagaland, along with hill districts of West Bengal, Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu.

Jammu & Kashmir has emerged as India’s leading trout producing region with around 3,010 MT production in 2025–26, supported by the Kokernag hatchery and over 2,000 private trout units.

Himachal Pradesh produced around 1,673 MT trout in 2025–26 with 909 trout farmers and 1,739 trout farming units.

Uttarakhand recorded around 710 MT trout production and total fish production of 10,486 MT during 2024–25, supported by nearly 2,500 raceways across districts such as Pithoragarh, Bageshwar, and Chamoli.

Ladakh has crossed 50 MT production with 120 raceways and four hatcheries despite its harsh climatic conditions.

North-eastern states including Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Meghalaya, and Nagaland are steadily expanding hatcheries and trout farming, while Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu are adopting pilot RAS and biofloc systems in hill regions such as Wayanad, Nilgiris, and Uttara Kannada.

Across cold-water states, 23.51 lakh families have received livelihood support, while 33.78 lakh fishers have been covered under insurance schemes. Jammu & Kashmir alone has over 31,000 registered fishers and fish farmers.

Under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) during 2020–26, projects worth Rs 21,963.48 crore have been approved nationally, including over Rs 5,638.76 crore sanctioned specifically for cold-water states.

These investments include 5,663 raceways, 54 trout hatcheries, 13 large RAS units, 16 medium RAS units, 36 small RAS units, nearly 4,600 ponds in Himalayan and North Eastern regions, 293 cold storages, and 8,366 transport vehicles, informed the ministry.

Under the PM-MKSSY scheme with an outlay of Rs 6,000 crore, support is being provided for fisheries, aquaculture insurance, and performance grants.

–IANS

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