India’s cold-water fisheries sector is emerging as an important pillar of the country’s Blue Economy, contributing to livelihood generation, nutrition, ecotourism, and sustainable mountain development.
The Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying said, the sector has evolved from traditional fishing practices in Himalayan streams into a modern aquaculture ecosystem supported by scientific farming, hatcheries, and cold chain infrastructure.
It added that India has identified over 278 cold-water fish species, while national cold-water fish production currently stands at around 7 thousand metric tonnes. Trout production has also increased nearly 1.8 times during the last decade to around 6 thousand metric tonnes in 2024-25.
The Ministry informed that Under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), projects worth over 5,638 crore rupees have been sanctioned for cold-water states during 2020-26.
These include development of trout hatcheries, raceways, RAS units, ponds, cold storages, and transport facilities. India is further expanding international collaboration with countries like Norway and Iceland for technology exchange and sustainable fisheries development.
