India: the future is inland

If managed sensibly, inland water bodies can go a long way to provide India with a sustainable future and food security for its population. Fish production in India registered a remarkable 16-fold increase during the last six decades to reach 12.59 mn tonnes (MT) in 2017-18, propelling the country to the position of the second-largest fish-producing nation in the world. During this period, the share of inland fish production has increased from 30 per cent to 70 per cent, and the present inland fish production has reached 8.9 MT. More than 14 mn fishers and fish farmers depend on fishing and fish farming for their livelihoods; many times more than that number eke out their living through support and ancillary activities like fish processing, trade and making of fishing craft and gear