Goals

Under the vision plan it is proposed to enhance the saleable fish & fish seed production from present level of 7800 t and 32 million fry to 8500 t and 35 million fry after a period of five years from Govt./ private fish farms. The production of sale able trout would also be increased from the existing  50 t to  100 t from Govt. and private fish farms.

While strengthening of farm’s infrastructure has been identified as an important work to undertake but few other points as indicated below also requires equal considerations.

 A. Aquaculture:

In view of limited scope of enhancement of state’s fish production from reservoirs and rivers/streams it is important to lay stress on aquaculture----farming in ponds and raceways. Further, not only aquaculture generates large scale employments but requisite subsidy grants @ Rs. 80,000/- per hectare for general category and Rs. 1,00,000/- per hectare for SC & ST category fish farmers are released by GOI under the centrally sponsored scheme’ Extension & Aquaculture”. The state Govt. has established two FFDA’s for implementation of centrally sponsored schemes.

• Vision plan envisages coverage of 100 ha water area by the end of five years period. This would help in generation of 200 employments under the aquaculture programme.
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• State’s FFDA is very well in position to achieve the above said targets provided the Agency is strengthened in terms of staff and with the pro-active role of the departmental fisheries officers. Presently the departmental officers are highly apathetic toward FFDA progarmmes. Fixing of targets and accountability could greatly alter the situation.

B      Riverine Fisheries:

§   The state has a fishable riverine stream length of 3000 kms out of which 600 falls under Trout waters while the rest as General Waters.

• The annual stocking of fingerlings in trout waters for five years could greatly enhance the biostock of trout waters.
• The state’s trout farms have the capacity to raise this requisite seed and implement the programme. This would obviously ensure the availability of fish to the General Waters. There is a continuous decline of fish catches in rivers & streams due to several natural & man-made factors. While the indiscriminate illegal fishing and emergence of large number of dams have seriously depleted the fish stretches but conservation and watch & ward have hardly been able to protect wanton killing of brood stock and notwithstanding that 50% of the departmental conservation force (about 150 personnels are deployed on in the protection of open waters). Presently there is hardly any river & stream, which has not been covered under the hydel project.                                             
• The state fortunately, is blessed with large number of rivers/streams providing vocation to over 4000 licensed/un-licensed fishermen. With optimal stocking the fish stock of these rivers could be enhanced manifold. However, prior to embarkation of meaningful stocking it is necessary that seed production in the national mahseer fish farm be started. Since the IMC seed cannot be stocked in state rivers in view of prevailing low water temperature as such the choice of stocking is limited to trout, mahseer and snow trout. Barring trout, the seed of other species is currently not being produced in the farm.
• There is thus urgent need to start seed production of mahseer and initiate work on seed production of snow trout. Meanwhile construction work of mahseer farm is about to complete.

C         Carp Farming:

• Renovation and augmentation of water supply to carp farms;
• To depute farm officials for short term training in latest breeding technologies and seed rearing at National Institutes;
• Initiation and completion of National Mahseer seed propagation;

D         Trout Farming:

• Upgradation of trout farms and completion of on-going works under construction;
• To ensure setting up of new trout farming units in private sector under Centrally Sponsored Scheme;
• To ensure supply of inputs viz. seed and feed to private farmers;
• Trout diagnostic laboratory at Patlikuhl farm has been established.

H.P. Aquaculture, Fishing and Marketing Society
(Government of Himachal Pradesh Undertaking)
(Regd. Office: Directorate of Fisheries, H.P. “Matsya Bhawan”, Bilaspur-174 001)