Inland Fisheries

5.4.2.1 Chilka Lake

Chilka Lake (also Chilika Lake) is the largest brackishwater lagoon or lake in India. It is situated along the east coast of India khurda in Puri and Ganjam districts of the State of Orissa and encloses a number of small islands. The rivers Daya, Nun and Bhargovi, the distributaries of the Mahanadi, are the Principal perennial sources of freshwater to this brackishwater lagoon but the volume of their discharges is directly dependent on the intensity of rainfall over their catchment areas. The lake is connected to the Bay of Bengal by a long channel, 135 km wide. The area of the lake varies from 1165 km² in the monsoon season to 906 km² in the dry season, and is studded with numerous small islands. It is about 65 km long. The lagoon is having more than 20000 ha of fringe area or littoral zone. The entire area has been allotted for prawn culture. The length of the outer channel is 29 km and width is 365 m. On its south-west, the outer channel divides into two branches at Satpara, one continuing its original course, ends into a network of swamps and waterways while the broader one, taking a turn at right angles, finally reaches the main lagoon at a point called ‘Mugger-Mukh’. The lake has an artificial man-made channel connecting Palur Bay (at southern extremity of the lake) with Rushikulya estuary. The depth of the lake varies from 25 m in the summer to 3.6 m in flood reasons.

The lake is divided into three sectors viz. Northern, Central and Southern.