The Fisheries Department has banned fish seeds production, seeds procurement and rearing of Exotic Mangoor and Big Head-Fish in Chhattisgarh, officials stated. Those who violate the order are liable for jail for one year and Rs10,000 fine or both. The Union Agriculture Ministry’s Animal Husbandry and Fisheries' Department has banned Exotic Mangoor and Big Head species of fishes.

Any individual, fisherman, society or group cannot go for breeding of these banned fish varieties, seeds procurement or rearing these fish in private tanks or State Government tanks. Fisheries Minister Brijmohan Agrawal has directed officials to carry out survey of various reservoirs in the State for promotion of fisheries. He was inaugurating the new office of Vice Chairman of Chhattisgarh Fisheries Welfare Board Thansingh Matiyara here last month.

Agrawal said that the members of the Board must work proactively to benefit maximum number of fishermen families. It may be recalled that the State Government will open modern fish retailing centres in cities of Raipur, Durg and Bilaspur soon. High-quality fish will be available to buyers at these centres, officials informed in a meeting presided over by Fisheries Minister Brijmohan Agrawal recently.

The Fish Retailing  Centre in Raipur will be opened at Jawahar Nagar Market. Wholesale fish market will be opened at Mandi Gate, Pandri. The Raipur Municipal Corporation will operate both the fish-selling centres, they stated. Fisheries Department will operate the fish-selling centres at Bilaspur and Durg. The State government has sanctioned Rs2 crore for the purchase of fishing nets and ice-boxes which will be distributed free of cost to the beneficiaries.

The officers said that 'Cage Culture' system of fish-rearing programmes was started in Chhattisgarh. The State tops the list of Cage Culture pattern of fish production. They are grown in in Saroda Sagar, Sheer Pani, Gonga canal, Jhumka waters and Tourenga waters. About 350 Metric Tonnes (MTs) of fish was produced with Cage Culture system. The Department is operating a scheme of constructing houses for fishermen. About 400 houses will be built for fishermen families in 2015-16.

The Department officers revealed that Chhattisgarh is self-sufficient in fish production. The fish seed needed for fishermen is produced in the State iteslf. About 2.849 lakh Metric tonne fish  was produced in 2014-15. The progressive farmers are producing  8,000 to 12,000 kilograms per hectare of fish like Katla, Rouhu and Mrugal varieties. About 70 tonnes per hectare of Pongosiasis variety of fish is also produced in the State.

In February this year, the State Government had announced that about 39000 fishermen of the State would get employment by fish farming in the Anicuts and barrages constructed over rivers and nullahs. There had been a quantum jump in fish production in Chhattisgarh which now stands higher than the national average, officials  claimed. The fish production was 2,975 kilo per hectare in 2013-14, while the national average is 2,650 kilo per hectare, they stated.