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Not AvailableWorldwide, the practice of culturing fish is becoming increasingly intensified to produce more fish per unit water area available. In India, the Indian major and exotic carps contribute lion’s share in the total aquaculture production, and having good demand as food fish, domestically. Majority of the populace in Northeastern Region of India is fish-eaters, and it has been increasingly felt that they are willing to pay more money to get a local fish (though small) than to buy a large Andhra fish. Consequently, fish farmers are getting interested to culture indigenous fish species opening the avenue for species diversification in the region. Labeo bata, L. gonius, Clarias magur, Heteropneustes fossilis and Monopterus cuchia in Assam, Osteobrama belangeri in Manipur, Notopterus chitala and Ompok bimaculatus in Tripura are in various stages of success while talking of diversification, because breeding, larval rearing and brood stock management are yet to be standardized to the extent it ought to be for many of the fish species mentioned above. Aquaculture is a stressful situation for the cultured fish, more so if the husbandry practices including management of water/ soil qualities and proper feeding are not taken care of. In nature, there exist a delicate balance between the host, pathogen and the environment. Generally high stocking density of fish, insufficient or excess supply of food and poor water quality are the major factors that cause stress to fish favouring the growth and proliferation of pathogens resulting in disease outbreak. The need for adopting suitable health management measures to reduce the loss due to diseases is being increasingly felt by aquaculturists. In disease management, the first and foremost task would be to diagnose and understand the process of disease that is to identify the infectious or non-infectious agent. In general, health management involves preventive and/ or therapeutic strategies. The first strategy includes all measures to prevent the occurrence of diseases and is directed at the environment and host. The latter strategy is on the use of chemicals to target pathogens. One more strategy could be improving immunity of the cultured animals through various means, which might provide protection against various disease causing and non-infectious agents. Under species diversification scenario in aquaculture, as in traditional culture of various species, health management of the animals cultured will be of utmost importance, because pathogens and diseases are causing significant losses in global aquaculture, and therefore the sector is now giving strong emphasis to reducing the mortalities and losses due to diseases. However, it is perceived that species diversification may not aggravate the problem of diseases in aquaculture. Future research could focus on comparative disease resistance capabilities of such indigenous species vis-à-vis traditionally cultured species. Since there is limited information (if any) on disease threats facing indigenous species only, this article will give a brief account of all important pathogenic and non-pathogenic disease conditions in freshwater fish and some newer ideas to deal with diseases in aquatic organisms in general.Not Availabl