IMPORTANT ACTIVITIES & STATISTICS OF CHHATTISGARH STATE'S FISHERIES

Geographical Features
Chhattisgarh is one of the youngest State of the nation constituted on 1st November, 2000. It is located in the heart of India and shares its borders with six states of the country. viz U.P. to the north, Jharkhand to the northeast, orrisa to the east, M.P. to the west and north west Maharastra to the southwest and AP to the southeast.
Chhattisgarh is situated between 17 43' to 24 5' north latitude and 80 15' to 84 20' east longitude.
Chhattisgarh can be divided in to three distinct region.
1. Northern region:- The districts that are part of this region are korea. Sarguja, Jaspur, Raigarh and Korba.
2. Cenral plain region:- The districts that fall in the central plains region are Raipur, Bilaspur, Janjgir, Kabirdham, Rajnandgaon, Durg, Dhamtari and Mahasmund.
3. Southern region:- The districts in this region are Kanker, Bastar and Dantewada.
Thus Chhattisgarh state has 16 districts with 20379 number of villages.

Climatic Features
The climate of state in general is sub-humid type with an average annual rain fall of about 1400 mm. The day temperature during peak summer season are usually very high in the entire state varying from 43 'C at Raigarh to 38 C at Jagadalpur in the month of May. However Raipur the capital town of the state the day time temperature is constantly high (above 40 C) right from the second fortnight of April to Ist week of June.

Important Activities of Fisheries
The fisheries sector has been recognised as a powerful income and employment generator and play an important role in rural economy and is a source of cheap and nutritious food. More than 2.50 lakh fishermen in the state depend on fisheries and aquaculture for their livelihood. Fisheries sector occupies an important place in the socio-economic development of the state. It caters primarily to the need of socio-economically weaker and backward communities of fishermen, scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. Which contributes the poorest section of the society. In addition to this fish is easily digestible and protein rich nutritive food commodity help to remove malnutrition.

Fisheries Resources:-
The state possesses vast and varied natural water area available for fish culture in the form of river, reservoirs, ponds and tanks. About 1.549 Laks hectare average water area is available for fish culture. Besides the state has two major river system viz Mahanadi and Godawari and their tributaries forming a network of 3573 km.

Fishing in rivers is free for the member of scheduled tribes and scheduled castes. The fishing in these lotic waters is on the decline due to unregulated and indiscriminate fishing.

Available water resources for the development of fisheries are as under :-

Ownership wise Percentage of water area

All the water bodies except water area beyond 2000 ha. have been leased out by the local Panchayat Administration since 1995. Village ponds and reservoirs upto 10 ha. are leased out by Gram Panchayat, 10-100 ha water area is leased out by Janpad (Block) Panchayat and the water area 100-200 ha is leased out by Zila (District) Panchayat under new fish policy. More than 200 ha. average water area are to be auctioned by the fisheries department for a five years period at a time.

Water bodies below 1 ha. is allotted to individual fishermen and above 1 ha. water bodies are leased out to fishermen co-operative societies and groups for a period of five years. Department of fisheries has reserved a small reservoir in each district for the procurement of breeders.

(B) Fish seed production resources: -
Fish seed is an important input in fish culture. Requirement of fish seed in terms of standard fry is 610 million annually. During the year 2005-06 target of production of 494 million standard fry was envisaged against which is 500 million. A well organised fish seed trade also exist which assist in meeting above 19% of the total requirement outside the State.
Circular type hatcheries 48, fish seed farm 32, rearing area 54.12 ha. are established for fish seed production as under :-

Fish seed production resources

The State Government has encouraged to construct small ponds (dubri) on private land under "Draught relief programme". It is expected that this additional water area will prove a boon to fish seed rearing and fish culture programmes. Efforts are being made to establish more circular hatcheries in public and private sector to pull up all the existing resources of production created new facilities for production and rearing both in the coming years.
To accelerate the fish seed production the provision of vocational opportunities for educated employed, private pisci culturerist, fisherwomen, groups and their co-operatives/through fisheries federation, Government fish farms will be made available on lease to the co-operative societies, self help group and educated unemployed groups for fish seed production.

(C) Fish production :-
Quality seed and fish feed are the essential components for the fish growth. Our per capita consumption is 7 kg per annum based on an estimate that 70% of the total population is fish eater in the State. Since in the villages community ponds are spread up mostly. Fishermen are restricted to use any inputs. The only alternative is to introduce large size finger lings (bonsai) in order to get better production. For this seed grower are to be encouraged. They are identified and new ones are introduced every year. FFDAs beneficiaries are being encouraged by fish culture in their own land. Farmers have started fish culture in Andhra Pradesh pattern by introducing inputs such as feed and fertilizers. The annual total fish production of the state is estimated about 1.20 lakh.

(D) Aquaculture Productivity :-
Present level of average fish production in village ponds is 2483 kg/ha/year against National average 2200kg/ha/year. To raise up the production level Advanced technology have to be adopted so as to attained the National level. The average production of reservoir is 69 kg/ha/year against the National average of 48 kg/ha/year.

(Productivity in kg/ha/year)

New Fisheries Policy in the State : A Cabinet sub committee was formed to formulate and recommend a new fisheries policy for the State. Accordingly, several meetings of the sub committee were held and it submitted its report to the government on 22.09.2001. After scrutiny cabinet the new fisheries policy in the State was released by the Government of Chhattisgarh Agriculture (fisheries) Department on March 2003. The salient features of the new fisheries policy are as under.

(i) Fishery leases of ponds, tanks and irrigation reservoirs upto 200 ha. of average water area to be given for five years at a time. Fisheries rights over three-tier Panchayat bodies/Ponds/tanks and irrigation reservoirs having more than 200 ha. average water area are to be auctioned by the fisheries department for a five years period at a time.
(ii) 10% increase in initial lease amount every third year are to be made.
(iii) Ponds and tanks having more than one ha. water area are to be leased out to registered fishermen's co-operative societies.
(iv) Fisheries of 10% of ponds, tanks and rrigation reservoirs are to be reserved for leasing to unemployed youth who have been given training by the department for 10 months.
(v) Working jurisdiction of a registered co-operative society will be within the radius of 8 km from its headquaters.
(vi) If three tier panchayat bodies fail to lease out fisheries of ponds and tanks within 6 months, such tanks would be leased out directly as per rules by the Collector of the district concerned.
(vii) Fish Seed traders are liable to take licenses under Fish Seed Act.
(viii) One tank in every village will be identified and left for the needs of villagers. No fisheries development will be taken up in such tanks.
(ix) Royalty will not be charged for minnows extracted from irrigation reservoirs which are under the department.
(x) Existing departmental hatcheries which are running in loss to be leased out.

CHHATTISGARH RAJYA SAHKARI MATSYA MAHASANGH

In the year 1979 M.P. Govt. established M.P. Rajya Matsya Vikas Nigam to enhance the fish & seed production of the state. Later on 1st of August 1999, Matsya Vikas Nigam merged into the M.P. Matsya Mahasangh an apex Co-operative body that was already in existence since 1984. This was done by the Govt. to strengthen the primary Co-operation societies. On the eve of the state bifurcation of Madhya Pradesh state M.P. Matsya Mahasangh was also bifurcated and Chhattisgarh Rajya Matsya came into existence on 1st November 2000. Presently 450 primary socities are its members.

Activities of the C.G. Rajya Sahkari Matsya Mahasangh

Presently Matsya Mahasangh is executing the following activities in the Chhattisgarh state.

Quality Fish Seed Production Hatcheries

The C.G. Rajya Matsya Mahasangh has 6 fish seed hatcheries with a total water area of 60 ha. These Centers are producing 30-35 corers spawn and 4.5 crores fry annually Two fish hatcheries Demar (25 ha.) & Salud (10 ha.) have been established with assistance of the world Bank. The Matsya Mahasangh has been successful in its aim to provide quality fish seed for village ponds and Mahasangh's acquired reservoirs. Annexure - 1 reveals details of hatcheries.

Development of fisheries in Irrigation Reservoirs

The aim of Matsya Mahasangh is to generate maximum employment to fisherman through raising fish production in reservoirs. For this catla rich large size fish seed in stocked. In order to get maximum fish production and revenue long term lease policy is preferred. The average fish production per hectare achieved is 21.54 kg, excluding problematic reservoir, Hasdeo-Bango the production per hectare goes up to 31.16 kg, in the year 2002-03 when total fish production achieved was 770 mitric tons. During the 2002-03 the average fish production in Mahasangh medium reservoir was gone up to 47.35 kg/ha. which includes highest per ha. fish production of 98.85 kg in case of Sondur reservoir. Now accept to medium reservoir which Dudhawa and Madhamsilli all the reservoirs are being taken up by department.

Annexure-1

INFORMATION OF FISH SEED HATCHERIES UNDER FEDERATION

INFORMATION OF RESERVOIRS UNDER FISH FEDERATION