Cold-water Fisheries Contribute 3% of Inland Fish Production

May 25, 2026

India’s total fish production

lakh tonnes during 2024–25,

with cold-water fisheries

contributing nearly 3 per cent

of inland fish production. National

cold-water fish production currently

stands at around 7,000 metric tonnes,

while trout production alone has

increased nearly 1.8 times over the

last decade to about 6,000 metric

tonnes in 2024–25. Species such

as rainbow trout, golden mahseer,

and snow trout are cultivated using

specialized infrastructure including

hatcheries, raceways, RAS, biofloc

systems, and cold chain facilities.

Cold-water fisheries flourish across

Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal

Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Arunachal

Pradesh, Sikkim, Meghalaya, and

Nagaland, along with hill districts

of West Bengal, Kerala, Karnataka,

and Tamil Nadu. Jammu & Kashmir

has emerged as India’s leading

trout producing region with around

3,010 MT production in 2025–26,

supported by the Kokernag hatchery

and over 2,000 private trout units.

Himachal Pradesh produced around

1,673 MT trout in 2025–26 with 909

trout farmers and 1,739 trout farming

units. Uttarakhand recorded around

710 MT trout production and total

fish production of 10,486 MT during

2024–25, supported by nearly 2,500

raceways across districts such as

Pithoragarh, Bageshwar, and Chamoli.

Ladakh has crossed 50 MT production

with 120 raceways and four hatcheries

despite its harsh climatic conditions.

North-eastern states including

Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim,

Meghalaya, and Nagaland are steadily

expanding hatcheries and trout

farming, while Kerala, Karnataka,

and Tamil Nadu are adopting pilot

RAS and biofloc systems in hill

regions such as Wayanad, Nilgiris,

and Uttara Kannada.Across cold-

water states, 23.51 lakh families have

received livelihood support, while

33.78 lakh fishers have been covered

under insurance schemes. Jammu

& Kashmir alone has over 31,000

registered fishers and fish farmers.

Under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya

Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) during

2020–26, projects worth Rs 21,963.48

crore have been approved nationally,

including over Rs 5,638.76 crore

sanctioned specifically for cold-water

states. These investments include

5,663 raceways, 54 trout hatcheries,

13 large RAS units, 16 medium

RAS units, 36 small RAS units,

nearly 4,600 ponds in Himalayan

and North Eastern regions, 293

cold storages, and 8,366 transport

vehicles. Under the PM-MKSSY

scheme with an outlay of Rs 6,000

crore, support is being provided for

fisheries, aquaculture insurance, and

performance grants.