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.