A Brief Profile of the Fishery Sector in West Bengal

The fisheries sector constitutes an important component of the regional rural economy of West Bengal. As the fishery resource can re-generate itself naturally on a time frame that is relevant for human exploitation, its commercial production and harvesting can provide enormous scope for regional economic development on a sustainable basis. The development of the fisheries economic activities in different directions can lead to income and employment generation for the rural population on a significant scale. The West Bengal fishery is mainly comprised of inland fishery resources - the pond fisheries are the more dominating form among all of them. The region is rich in water resources. The fishery sector of the region has also been undergoing a steady transformation from traditional fishing activity to commercial activity over the years. Despite these facts, the level of production and productivity is far from adequate, leaving a large gap between actual and potential output. The region is yet to tap the vast growth potential of production of fish, mainly from pisciculture. This paper is an attempt to know the current scenario of fishery development of the region vis-à-vis the identification of major challenges and opportunities related to inland fishing activities and suggest possible pathways towards the sustainable development of the sector.