India is home to more than 10% of the global fish biodiversity. According to their habitat fishes can be categorized into freshwater fish, brackishwater fish and marine fish.
Categorization by habitat
Freshwater Fish
Fish that spend most or all of their life in freshwaters, such as rivers and lakes, having a salinity of less than 0.5 ppt.
Around 40% of all known species of fish are found in freshwater.
They may be divided into Coldwater Fish (5 – 20 0C); examples: Mahseer, Trout, etc., and
Warmwater Fish (25 – 35 0C); example: Carps, Catfish, Snakeheads, Featherbacks, etc.
Brackishwater Fish
Fish that can tolerate a wide range of salinity (0.5 – 30.0 ppt) and live in backwaters, estuaries and coastal waters. Example: Mullet, Milkfish, Seabass, Pearlspot, Mudskipper, etc.
Marine Fish
Fish that spend most or all of their life in seawater, such as Seas and Oceans, having salinity above 30 ppt.
There are about 240 species contributing to the marine fisheries. Example: Sardines, Mackerel, Ribbonfish, Anchovies, Grouper, Cobia, Tuna, etc.
Inland Fisheries of India
Around 70% of India’s fish production comes from inland waters, of which nearly 65% comes from aquaculture.
The Inland Fisheries of India may be classified as:
i. Lacustrine Fisheries (Lakes and Reservoirs)
ii. Riverine Fisheries (Rivers and Streams)
iii. Estuarine Fisheries (Estuaries and Backwaters)
iv. Floodplain and Wetland Fisheries
v. Coldwater Fisheries
vi. Ornamental Fisheries
vii. Sport Fisheries viii. Culture Fisheries (Aquaculture)
Marine Fisheries
India has a 8,118 km long coastline stretching along 9 Maritime States and 4 Union Territories. The nine Maritime States are Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Goa. The 4 Maritime Union Territories are Daman & Diu, Puducherry, Lakshadweep Islands and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
The country has also a 0.53 million km2 Continental Shelf and 2.02 million km2 of Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
The annual potential yield from the EEZ is estimated as 3.93 million tonnes of fish.
The Marine Fisheries has been playing a pivotal role in the Indian Fisheries Sector.
The major marine catches comes from the coast of Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal and Maharashtra.
The important Marine Fisheries can be grouped into the following categories:
Surface-water Fish (Pelagic): Sardines, Anchovies, Ribbonfish, Mackerel, Seerfish, Tuna, etc.
Mid-water Fish (Pelagic): Bombay Duck, Cobia, Silver Bellies, Horse Mackerel, etc.
Bottom-water Fish (Demersal): Perches, Catfish, Pomfrets, Flatfish, Eels, etc
Shellfish Fisheries
Shellfish are aquatic invertebrates having an exoskeleton/shell.
They can be grouped into two general categories: Crustaceans and Molluscs.
Crustaceans
Crustaceans refers to those organisms that have segmented bodies covered with armour-like sections of thick or thin shell and bear jointed appendages: e.g., prawns, crabs, shrimps, lobsters and crayfish.
Molluscs
Molluscs are of three types:
(i) Bivalves that include clams, oysters, mussels and scallops;
(ii) Univalves that include abalone, periwinkle and other snails like conch and whelk; and
(iii) Cephalopods that have a soft pliable body with an internal shell, a beaked head bearing tentacles, include squids, cuttlefish and octopus.
