ICAR-CIFRI, Barrackpore and Himachal Pradesh Partner to Unlock Reservoir Fisheries Potential and Transform Fisher Livelihoods

9 September 2026, Barrackpore

In a major push towards revitalising inland fisheries and strengthening sustainable livelihoods in Himachal Pradesh, the ICAR-Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute, Barrackpore has intensified its technological and scientific partnership with the Department of Fisheries, Government of Himachal Pradesh.

The roadmap for renewed collaboration was discussed during an interaction between the ICAR-CIFRI team, led by Dr Pradip Dey, Director, ICAR-CIFRI, and Shri Om Kant Thakur, IAS, Director-cum-Warden, Department of Fisheries, Himachal Pradesh. Dr Som Nath, Assistant Director of Fisheries, Himachal Pradesh, also accompanied the Department's team during the interaction.

The discussions focused on transforming the state's reservoirs and inland waters into productive, sustainable and technology-enabled fisheries ecosystems, with emphasis on reservoir-specific fisheries management, cage and pen culture, stock enhancement, quality fish seed production, conservation and capacity building.

Himachal Pradesh possesses a diverse reservoir fisheries resource comprising GobindSagar, Pong, Kol Dam, Chamera-I, Chamera-II and Chamera-III, each having distinct ecological, hydrological and fisheries characteristics. ICAR-CIFRI's long-standing engagement with the state dates back to 1982, when a Reservoir Research Centre was established at Bilaspur for GobindSagar fisheries research.

Recent CIFRI assessments have highlighted the need for strengthened scientific management. In Gobind Sagar, fish yield declined from 149 kg/ha/year in 2013 to 31 kg/ha/year in 2020, with changing hydrological conditions, deterioration in water quality, pollution, erratic precipitation, loss of breeding grounds and altered recruitment patterns as identified.

Similarly, CIFRI's assessment of Pong Reservoir identified 12 potential breeding grounds and emphasised their protection and development as conservation areas, along with scientific regulation of fishing effort, appropriate mesh size, protection during breeding seasons and stocking with larger-sized Indian Major Carp seed.
A key highlight of CIFRI's technological interventions in Himachal Pradesh has been the demonstration of cage-based fish production. Forty-eight HDPE modular cages—24 each in Pong and Gobind Sagar reservoirs—were installed and stocked with Pangasianodon hypophthalmus.

The intervention generated an average production of 1.9 tonnes per cage, with a total harvest of 102.85 tonnes and revenue generation of ₹73.82 lakh. The project demonstrated the feasibility of commercial-scale table-fish production from reservoirs located in a temperate climatic region.

Building on this experience, ICAR-CIFRI and the Department of Fisheries, Himachal Pradesh, will work towards identifying economically viable and locally preferred fish species for cage culture in Pong, Gobind Sagar, Kol Dam and Chamera-I reservoirs.

Special emphasis will also be placed on rainbow trout cage culture in Kol Dam Reservoir, while floating pen culture in Pong Reservoir will be explored for in-situ production of Indian Major Carp stocking materials.

The proposed action plan places strong emphasis on standardised stock enhancement protocols across the state's reservoirs. Local production of quality seed of Labeo calbasu (calbasu) and Tor putitora (golden mahseer) will be promoted to simultaneously address production, conservation and biodiversity objectives.

The initiative will also support reservoir-specific approaches to stocking, recruitment monitoring and fishing-effort management. This assumes greater significance amid changing reservoir hydrology. As per the CWC Reservoir Storage Monitoring System dated 3 September 2026, Gobind Sagar stood at 61.3% of live capacity and 80.6% of normal storage, while Pong Dam stood at 71.4% of live capacity and 90.6% of normal storage. Kol Dam, in contrast, showed a markedly different storage response at 111.8% of normal. These contrasting conditions underline the importance of integrating water-level trends with fisheries recruitment, stocking and fishing-effort monitoring.

The renewed partnership also opens avenues for deploying smart and precision fisheries technologies. ICAR-CIFRI showcased its expertise in IoT-based real-time water-quality monitoring, wireless sensor systems, GIS and remote sensing, drone-based applications and underwater remotely operated vehicles (ROVs).

These technologies can support real-time monitoring of dissolved oxygen and other water-quality parameters, fish health and behaviour assessment, cage-net inspection, water sampling from inaccessible locations, floating macrophyte mapping and improved fisheries management. CIFRI has also demonstrated drone-based applications including water sampling, fish transport, monitoring and other fisheries-related operations.

The integration of such technologies with conventional fisheries science is expected to facilitate a transition towards data-driven, climate-responsive and precision fisheries management in Himachal Pradesh.

Beyond reservoirs, the collaboration will also draw upon CIFRI's experience in the Beas and Sutlej river systems, including assessments of fisheries, biodiversity, river ecology and fisher livelihoods. Recent studies recorded 75 fish species in the Sutlej, including nine threatened species, with the endangered golden mahseer (Tor putitora) receiving particular conservation attention.

Potential interventions include golden mahseer ranching, river-wise fish catch and effort monitoring, identification and conservation of critical habitats, and biodiversity-sensitive fisheries management.

A major component of the proposed collaboration will be batch-wise capacity-building programmes for fishers and other stakeholders at ICAR-CIFRI. Training will cover cage and pen culture, reservoir fisheries management, quality seed production, stock enhancement, fish health, water-quality management, value addition and livelihood-oriented fisheries technologies.

Dr. Pradip Dey, Director, ICAR-CIFRI, highlighted the immense potential of Himachal Pradesh to emerge as a model for sustainable reservoir fisheries and contribute to the development of a vibrant inland blue economy. He emphasized that Blue Revolution 2.0 envisages a shift beyond production enhancement towards science-led, climate-resilient, technology-enabled and livelihood-oriented fisheries development. He stated that ICAR-CIFRI is committed to partnering with the Government of Himachal Pradesh to harness the State’s fisheries potential through scientific capacity building, cage and pen culture, quality seed production, stock enhancement and conservation-oriented fisheries management. He further emphasized the importance of taking research, innovation and technology to the field to transform reservoirs into sustainable engines of rural prosperity and contribute to the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047, with empowered fishers, healthy aquatic ecosystems and a thriving blue economy forming integral components of inclusive national development.

Shri Om Kant Thakur, IAS, Director-cum-Warden, Department of Fisheries, Government of Himachal Pradesh, expressed the State Government’s commitment to harnessing the fisheries potential of its reservoirs and river systems in a scientifically sound and sustainable manner. He acknowledged the value of ICAR-CIFRI’s technical expertise and field experience in strengthening cage culture, quality seed production, stock enhancement and conservation-oriented fisheries management in the State. He also emphasized the importance of deepening the institutional partnership between the Department of Fisheries and ICAR-CIFRI to enhance fish production, improve fisher livelihoods and ensure the long-term sustainability of Himachal Pradesh’s aquatic resources.

The delegation also visited the state-of-the-art laboratories and research facilities of ICAR-CIFRI, gaining an overview of the Institute's scientific capabilities, diagnostic facilities and technological interventions supporting inland fisheries development.

The renewed partnership is expected to provide a stronger scientific and technological backbone to Himachal Pradesh's fisheries sector, linking reservoir productivity with ecological sustainability, conservation and fisher welfare. With its commitment for Blue Revolution 2.0, ICAR-CIFRI is poised to support Himachal Pradesh in building a resilient, productive and technology-enabled inland fisheries economy.

(Source: ICAR-Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute, Barrackpore)