Chhattisgarh is among top six fish producing States in the country, officials claimed. The State Government had been encouraging production of fish by offering numerous incentives to the fishermen.
About 2.84 lakh metric tonnes of fish was produced in the year 2013-14 in various irrigation waterways and fish tanks. This apart, about 18.79 lakh metric tonnes of fish were produced during the past one decade in the entire State. In the year 2004-05, 1.20 lakh metric tonnes of fish was produced which rose to 2.84 lakh metric tonnes last year. About 1.48 lakh hectares of irrigation water area is already developed for Pisciculture out of a total area of 1.58 lakh hectares in the entire State.
About 94 per cent of available water resource area is brought under fish cultivation. About 3,573 km water resource area of the rivers is naturally available for Pisciculture. Optimum utilisation of the resources is the main goal. The main species of fish production are Rohu, Katla and Mrigal in the State, they stated. Fish region is developed in Demar village (Dhamtari district) for the fishermen to learn rudiments of fish rearing.
According to Fisheries Department officials, in the year 2004-05 , about 1.20 lakh metric tonnes, in 2005-06 about 1.32 lakh metric tonnes in 2007-08, 1.39 lakh metric tonnes in 2008-09 about 1.59 lakh metric tonnes in 2009-10 about 1.74 lakh metric tonnes in 2010-11 about 2.28 lakh metric tonnes in 2011-12 about 2.50 lakh metric tonnes in 2012-13 about 2.55 lakh metric tonnes in 2013-14 about 2.84 lakh metric tonnes fish was produced.
The officials said that fishermen were given seeds for the rearing of fish in the entire State. A Pangecious hatchery was established in Dhamtari district to encourage production of Cat fish at the local level by the State government. Seven Mangur hatcheries were established in Durg, Raipur, Kabirdham, Bilaspur, Korba, Kondagaon and Koriya.
The Fisheries Department also gave ‘pattas’ to fishermen in an area from 200 hectares to 1,000 hectares and 5,000 hectares and above irrigated water areas under the fish production scheme. The Panchayat Raj Department was empowered to allocate ‘pattas’ to the fishermen in an area of 200 hectare water resource area for a minimum period of 10 years.