Inland Fisheries

5.4.1 Introduction

A lagoon has freshwater streams flowing into it from the hinterland or the catchment areas, on one side, and on the other side, the lagoon opens into the sea through a comparatively narrow mouth. Lagoons associated with estuaries constitute an important inland fishery resource. India has two important lagoons / brackish water lakes viz. the Chilka Lake and the Pulicat Lake in the east coast. These two major brackish water lakes are not only identical with each other, broadly in their hydrological and biological features. They are also identical with similar major lagoons in South and Southeast Asia. The backwaters comprise a system of interconnected lagoons, bays and swamps penetrating the mainland. The important backwaters in India are Cochin backwaters, Vembanad backwaters and Kakinada backwaters. Some scientists consider the two brackish water lakes such as Chilka Lake and Pulicat Lake also as backwaters. Similarly, some scientists categorise the above mentioned three backwaters as brackish water lakes or lagoons.