Inland Fisheries

5.2.1 Introduction

The major estuarine systems in India are the Hooghly-Matlah estuarine system in West Bengal; the Mahanadi and  Rushikulya estuary in Orissa; the Godavari and the Krishna in Andhra Pradesh; the Adyar,the Cauvery, Vellar and Vaigai estuaries in Tamil Nadu, the Narmada and the Tapti in Gujarat, Asthamudi in Kerala, Kalinadi in Karnataka and Mandovi – Zuari system of Goa. The important brackishwater lakes of the country are the Chilka lake in Orissa, the Pulicut lake and Killai backwaters in Tamil Nadu and Cochin and Vembanad backwaters in Kerala. Though the fisheries of various estuarine systems have been studied in the last two decades, a continuous monitoring of the fisheries is done only in the Hooghly-Matlah estuarine system, the largest estuarine complex in India. The following estuaries are the important estuaries situated along the east of India.