Inland Fisheries

3.2.3.1 Fish and Fisheries of the Brahmaputra river system

          A total of 126 species of fishes belonging to 26 families have been recorded from this system. Of these, 41 species are known to have commercial importance. Catfishes (mainly Wallago attu) and major (mainly Rohu) and minor carps dominate the commercial catches of upper, middle and lower stretches, while the commercial catch in lower-middle stretch is primarily composed of catfish and miscellaneous catch. The species found in the Himalayas include Tor spp, Glyptothorax spp, Balitora spp, Noemacheilus spp, Schizothorax spp, Lepidocephalichthys spp, Gagata spp etc. The major fishes present in this system include Labeo gonius, Wallago attu, Puntius sarana, Notopterus notopeterus, N. chitala, Mystus seenghala, Clupisoma gainia and Eutropiichthys vacha. A survey conducted by CIFRI, Barrackpore indicates that there is significant decline in the fishery in many stretches of the river. Mahseers, once plentiful in the upstream stretches of rivers, are already under the threat of extinction.