1. Page | 1
CONTENTS
1) Introduction.
2) What is Fishery Resources?
3) What is Inland Fisheries?
4) Characteristics.
5) Types of Inland Fisheries.
6) Major Inland Fishing Areas of world.
7) Distribution of various surface water.
8) Lakes, swamps, and wetlands, flood plains of the world.
9) Rivers and Reservoirs of the world.
10) Major rivers and reservoirs of the world.
11) FAO major fishing areas and major species found in that regions.
12) Freshwater zoo-geographic regions.
13) Status of inland fishery of the world.
14) Inland capture fisheries and major producer countries.
15) Problems of inland fishery resources of world.
16) Management measures, polices and regulatory environment.
17) Conclusion.
18) References.

2. Introduction:
India is the second largest producer of fish in the world contributing to
5.68% of global fish production. India is also a major producer of fish
through aquaculture and ranks second in the world after China. Fisheries
sector occupies a very important place in the socio-economic
development of the country. It has been recognized as a powerful income
and employment generator as it stimulates growth of a number of
subsidiary industries, and is a source of cheap and nutritious food besides
being a foreign exchange earner. Most importantly, it is the source of
livelihood for a large section of economically backward population of the
country. The fisheries sector is a source of livelihood for over 14.49 million
people engaged fully, partially or in subsidiary activities pertaining to the
sector. Besides, an equal number are engaged in ancillary activities in
fisheries and aquaculture. Development of fisheries can ensure food
security as well as tackle unemployment in these regions that are
predominately inhabited by rural populace. The total fish production during
2013-14(P) is at 9.58 million metric tonnes with a contribution of 6.14
million metric tonnes from inland sector and 3.44 million metric tonnes
from marine sector respectively. The overall growth in fish production in
2013-14 has been 5.9%, which has been mainly due to 7.3% growth in
inland fish production. The growth in marine fish production has been
3.7%. There has been steady growth in the export of fish and fish
products over the period. Efforts are being made to boost the export
potential through diversification of products for export. During 2013-14 the
volume of fish and fish products exported was 9, 83,756 tonnes worth Rs.
30213.26 crores.
Fishery Resources:
The country has a long coastline of 8118 km and equally large areas
under estuaries, backwaters, lagoons etc., conducive for developing
capture as well as culture fisheries. With the declaration of the Exclusive
Economic Zone (EEZ) in 1977, an area of 2.02 million Sq km, (comprising
of 0.86 million sq. km on the west coast, 0.56 million sq.km on the east
coast and 0.60 sq.km around the Andaman & Nicobar Islands) has come
under our jurisdiction with absolute right of exploring, exploiting and
natural utilization of living resources falling within it. The inland fishery
resources include 1.96 lakh kms stretch of rivers. And canals, 29.07 lakh
hectare reservoirs, 24.40 lakh hectare ponds and tanks, 7.98 lakh hectare
of beels, derelict water bodies and 12.40 lakh hectare brackish water
areas.
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3. What is Inland fisheries?
Inland fisheries exist in natural areas such as streams, rivers, swamps, lakes and
inland seas, in temporary water bodies such as floodplains and seasonal ponds,
and also in artificial and modified habitats such as irrigation systems, rice
paddies, reservoirs and enclosed natural water bodies (e.g. ox-bow lakes).
CHARACTERISTICS:
The inland fisheries sector is
extremely diverse. Hand-held gear
to small trawls or purse seine
operated by commercial fishing
vessels. Fisheries means not only
the harvesting of fish the actual
fishing operations. Also includes
processing and other post-harvest
and supporting activities.
TYPES OF INLAND FISHERIES:
Inland fisheries include: commercial and industrial fisheries, small-scale
fisheries and, recreational fisheries.
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1. Commercial and industrial fisheries
 Income is a primary motivation for many fishers.
 require specialized catch preservation and distribution,
 Usually involving high-capital-input gear.
 Significant inputs of professional labor.
 Commercial and industrial inland fisheries are mainly known from
lake.
 Commercial fisheries are usually found where resource availability
and access to markets justify significant investment (financial,
human resources and/or in the construction of gear) and where
access can be controlled.
 Fisheries in developed countries, from the Great Lakes in Africa and
from sturgeon fisheries in the Caspian Sea.

4.  River fisheries occur in Southeast Asia, such as the “fishing lots”
and the dai or bagnet fisheries of Cambodia, the “fishing inns” of
Myanmar.
 Latin America, industrial fisheries for migratory catfish are carried
out in the Amazon and for sábalo (Prochilodus spp.) in the Plate
River.
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2. Small-scale inland fisheries
 Constitute a dynamic and evolving sector employing labor-intensive
harvesting, processing and distribution technologies to exploit the
fisheries resources.
 Pure subsistence fisheries are rare.
 Excess production would be sold or exchanged for other products or
services even in the smallest fishery.
3. Recreational fisheries
 Not a commercial activity – the catch is usually not sold.
 For pleasure or competition.
 Second objective to catch fish for own consumption.
Major Inland Fishing Areas:
 Fishing techniques also range from small hand-held nets in rice
paddies to industrial-scale trawlers on inland seas.
 Lakes, reservoirs and wetlands important for inland fisheries cover a
total area of about 7.8 million sq km.
 Relatively high proportions of land are covered with surface waters
in;
 Southeast Asia
 North America
 east and central West Africa
 northern part of Asia
 Europe and South America

5. DISTRIBUTION OF VARIOUS SURFACE
WATERS:
LAKES, SWAMPS AND WETLANDS OF
THE WORLD:
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• Lakes area contributes to about 1.7 million km.
• Swamps and wetlands contributes to about 4 million km.
• Lakes >> North America stands first in area.
• Major lakes include --- Caspian Sea, Lake Superior, and Lake
Victoria etc.
RIVERS OF THE WORLD:
 It is in dynamic systems.
 Total length-269000km.
 Largest number in South America and least number in Oceania.
 important rivers of the world-i.
Nile-6650km
ii. Amazon-6400km
iii.Yang tse-6300km

6. Page | 6
The Mississippi River just north of St. Louis
There are many factors, such as the source, the identification or the
definition of the mouth, and the scale of measurement of the river length
between source and mouth, that determine the precise meaning of "river
length". As a result, the length measurements of many rivers are only
approximations. In particular, there has long been disagreement as to
whether the Nile or the Amazon is the world's longest river. The Nile has
traditionally been considered longer, but in recent years some Brazilian
and Peruvian studies have suggested that the Amazon is longer by
measuring the river plus the adjacent Pará estuary and the longest
connecting tidal canal.
Scientists debate whether the Amazon or the Nile is the longest river in the
world. Traditionally, the Nile is considered longer, but recent information
suggests that the Amazon may be longer. Differences in the recorded length of
the Amazon mainly depend on whether or not it is valid to take a course south
of the Ilha de Marajó at the Amazon's mouth.
RESERVOIRS OF THE WORLD:
Manmade structures. More than 60000 numbers of large reservoirs. Area
more than 6500 km2 .Area wise- Asia stands first followed by North
America. Asia - 65% by number and 31% by volume.

7. Page | 7
Sl.
No.
Name
of River
Length
in kms
Length
in
miles
Drainage
area in
Km2
Average
discharge
Out
flow
Countries
In the drainage
basin
1.
Nile
6,650
(6,853)
4,132
(4,258)
3,254,555 5,100
Mediterran
ean
Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, U
ganda, Tanzania,Kenya, R
wanda, Burundi, Egypt, De
mocratic Republic of the
Congo, South Sudan
2. Amazon
6,400
(6,992)
3,976
(4,345)
7,050,000 219,000
Atlantic
Ocean
Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Colo
mbia, Ecuador, Venezuela,
3. Yangtze
(Chang Jiang)
6,300
(6,418)
3,917
(3,988)
1,800,000 31,900
East China
Sea
China, Tibet
4. Mississippi–
Missouri
6,275 3,902 2,980,000 16,200
Gulf of
Mexico
United States (98.5%),
Canada (1.5%)
5. Yenisei 5,539 3,445 2,580,000 19,600 Kara Sea
Russia
(97%), Mongolia (2.9%)
6. Yellow River
(Huang He)
5,464 3,395 745,000 2,110 Bohai Sea China
7. Ob–Irtysh 5,410 3,364 2,990,000 12,800 Gulf of Ob
Russia, Kazakhstan,
China, Mongolia
8. Paraná – Río
de la Plata
4,880 3,030 2,582,672 18,000
Río de la
Plata
Brazil (46.7%),
Argentina (27.7%), Parag-uay(
13.5%), Bolivia
(8.3%), Uruguay (3.8%)
9.
Congo–
Chambeshi
4,700 2,922 3,680,000 41,800
Atlantic
Ocean
Democratic Republic of
the Congo, Central African
Republic, Angola, Republi
c of the Congo , Tanzania ,
Cameroon, Zambia,
Burundi , Rwanda
10.
Amur–Argun
(Heilong
Jiang)
4,444 2,763 1,855,000 11,400
Sea of
Okhotsk
Russia, China, Mongolia

8. Page | 8
LIST OF TOP 10 RIVERS AND THEIR DISTRIBUTION
MAJOR RESERVOIRS OF THE WORLD:
• LAKE VOLTA (8482 KM2) GHANA.
• SMALL WOOD RESERVOIR (6527 KM2)
CANADA.
• KUYBYSHEV RESERVOIR (645O KM2)
RUSSIA.
Sl.
No.
Name of
dams
Name of
Reservoirs
Name of
rivers
Country Year Volume
In km3
1 Kariba Dam Lake Kariba Zambezi River Zimbabwe 1959 180.6
2 Bratsk Dam Bratsk Reservoir Angara River Russia 1964 169
3 Aswan High Dam Lake Nasser Nile River Egypt 1971 157
4 Akosombo Dam Lake Volta Volta River Ghana 1965 150
5
Daniel-Johnson
Dam
Manicouagan
Reservoir
Manicouagan
River
Canada 1968 141.851
6 Guri Dam Lake Guri Caroní River Venezuela 1986 135
7
W. A. C. Bennett
Dam
Williston Lake Peace River Canada 1967 74.3

9. Page | 9
LIST OF
RESERVOIR BY VOLUME
FLOOD PLAINS OF WORLD:
A floodplain or flood plain is an area of land adjacent to a stream or river that
stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley
walls and experiences flooding during periods of high discharge. It includes
the floodway, which consists of the stream channel and adjacent areas that
actively carry flood flows downstream, and the flood fringe, which are areas
inundated by the flood, but which do not experience a strong current. In other
words, a floodplain is an area near a river or a stream which floods when the
water level reaches flood stage.
Flood plain contributes about 4 million km.Major share is by USSR (Union of
Soviet Sovereign Republics).
Floodplain
FAO MAJOR FISHING AREAS:
 Statistical purpose.
 Both for marine and inland.
8
Krasnoyarsk
Dam
Krasnoyarsk
Reservoir
Yenisei River Russia 1967
73.3

10. Page | 10
 Inland - 8 major regions.
AFRICA, NORTH AMERICA, SOUTH AMERICA, ASIA EUROPE, OCEANIA,
FORMER USSR, ANTARTICA.
MAJOR SPECIES FOUND IN MAJOR
INLAND FISHING AREA:
• Africa - Nile perch, tilapia, grass carp, African cat fish, mullet
• North America - tilapia, common carp, white fish, cat fish, river prawn,
Cray fish.
• South America - members of characins and cat fishes, rainbow trout,
tilapia, river prawn.
• Asia - common carp, silver carp, barbs, tilapia, snakeheads, mullets, river
prawns.
• Europe - fresh water breams, pikes, salmons, spats, Cray fishes.
• Oceania - tilapia, river eels, cat fishes, giant perches.
FRESH WATER ZOO-GEOGRAPHIC
REGIONS:
To understand the distribution of fresh water fishes. Six regions-proposed
by Alfred Russell Wallace.
i. NEARTIC REGION
ii. NEO-TROPICAL REGION
iii. PALEARTIC REGION
iv. AFRICAN REGION
v. ORIENTAL REGION
vi. AUSTRALIAN REGION
 NEARTIC REGION:

11. • North America excluding Mexico.
• 14 families-950 species.
• Main families-cyprinidae, catostomidae, ichaluridae, percidae,
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centrachidae.
• About 75 species are endemic to this region.
 NEOTROPICAL REGION:
• Middle and South America including Mexico.
• 32 family with 4475 valid species-approx. 3000 endemic
• Main families-characins,silurides,gymnotiformes,perciformes
• Importance-freshwater stingrays, herring, needle fish, soles etc.
 PALEARTIC REGION:
• Europe and Asia (North of Himalayan mountains).
• Main species -minnows, loaches, cat fishes, perches etc.
• 546 native species.
 AFRICAN REGION:
• Whole of African continent.
• 27 families-2000 species.
• Main species include minnows, characins and cat fishes.
 ORIENTAL REGION:
• Indian sub-continent, south-East Asia, Philippines and most of
Indonesia.
• 28 family of fishes.
• Main families includes siluriformis and cypriniformis.
 AUSTRALIAN REGION:
• Contains Australia, New Guinea, and New Zealand.
• 18 families of fishes.
INLAND FISHERIES:
• Inland fisheries are a vital component in the livelihoods of people in
many parts of the world, in both developing and developed countries.
• provide economic opportunities
• “Safety net” that allows for continued food production when other
sectors may fail.

12. In developed countries, and in an increasing number of developing
countries, inland fisheries are used for recreation rather than for food
production, another avenue to economic development and growth.
STATUS OF INLAND FISHERY OF
WORLD:
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13. CONTRIBUTION OF VARIOUS INLAND FISHING
AREAS:
Inland capture fisheries: major producer countries:
Global inland waters capture production reached 11.6 million tonnes in
2012. Although its upward trend seems continuous, its share in total
global capture production does not exceed 13 percent. However,
consumption surveys in Cambodia, the Lao People’s Democratic
Republic, Thailand and Viet Nam reveal that capture production in the
lower Mekong Basin is probably significantly greater than officially
reported.
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LIST OF MAJOR PRODUCER COUNTRIES
2012
Ranking
Country Continent 2003
(Tonnes)
2011
(tonnes)
2012
(tonnes)
2003-
2011(%)
variation
2011-
2012(%)
variation
1. China Asia 2 135 086 2 232 221 2 297 839 7.6 2.9
2. India Asia 757 353 1 061 033 1 460 456 92.8 37.6
3. Myanmar Asia 290 140 1 163 159 1 246 460 329.6 7.2
4. Bangladesh Asia 709 333 1 054 585 957 095 34.9 –9.2
5. Cambodia Asia 308 750 445 000 449 000 45.4 0.9
6. Uganda Africa 241 810 437 415 407 638 68.6 –6.8
7. Indonesia Asia 308 656 368 578 393 553 27.5 6.8
8. United
Republic of
Tanzania
Africa 301 855 290 963 314 945 4.3 8.2
9. Nigeria Africa 174 968 301 281 312 009 78.3 3.6
10. Brazil America
227 551 248 805 266 042 16.9 6.9

14. Total 15 major countries 6 597 640 8 753 039 9 247 624 40.2 5.7
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World total 8 611 840 11,124,
401
11, 630,
320
35.1 4.5
Share 15 major countries
(percentage)
76.6 78.7 79.5
11. Russian
Federation
Europe/Asia 190 712 249 140 262 548 37.7 5.4
12. Egypt Africa 313 742 253 051 240 039 –23.5 –5.1
13. Thailand Asia 198 447 224 708 222 500 12.1 –1.0
14. Democratic
Republic
of the
Congo
Africa 230 365 217 000 214 000 –7.1 –1.4
15. Viet Nam Asia 208 872 206 100 203 500 –2.6 –1.3

15. Page | 15
Total Fish Production in World and Continents:
PROBLEMS OF INLAND FISHERIES RESOURSES:
 Pollution.
 Multiple uses.

16. Page | 16
 Climatic changes.
 Introduction of alien species.
 Dams and migration of fishes.
 Over –exploitation of targeted fisheries.
 Eutrophication due to natural and manmade causes.
 In remote rural areas, fishery management, monitoring and
reporting are difficult and often non-existent.
 Inland water fishing is often a subsistence or recreational activity
 Fishing sites geographically scattered
 Making gathering information very difficult.
 Habitat loss and degradation, water abstraction, drainage of
wetlands.
 Excessive agricultural effluents, e.g. agrochemicals and harmful
waste, can cause pollution and eutrophication of inland waters
 Agriculture is responsible for draining wetlands, abstracting a
tremendous amount of water through irrigation.
 Water scarcity in most regions of the world are threatening inland
fish production.
 Land clearing and deforestation cause increased erosion and
siltation in the watershed.
 Effects of climate change.
MANAGEMENT MEASURES:
• Trans -boundary talks.
• Ranching activities.
• River protection programmers.
• Fish-ways on reservoir.
• Restriction on the gear and destructive fishing methods.
• Protective areas.
• Gene conservations (in situ & ex situ conservation)
POLICIES AND REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT:
• Closely integrated with those of other stakeholders and sectors.
• More access to fishing grounds and fishing practices than for
regulation of other threats to fish resources and their ecosystems.
• Addition to the CCRF, they include
1. The ramsarconvention,
2. The Convention of Biological Diversity,
3. The Convention on migratory species,
4. The World Heritage Convention.
5. Comanagement has been introduced in inland fisheries in recent
years.

17. 6. Production-oriented policies to increase fish production through
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aquaculture development and culture-based fisheries.
Conclusion:
In spite of the trend of gradually increasing the abundance of inland water
species populations declined by 28 percent between 1970 and 2003.
Inland fisheries are an important source of cash and high-quality protein,
particularly in poorer countries. Ways to reduce the fishing pressure
should be developed with all stakeholders involved. The sector is highly
dynamic with possibilities for people to enter or leave it or increase or
decrease their participation in response to developments and available
opportunities inside and outside fisheries. There will be increased
competition from aquaculture as that sector continues to grow. However,
aquaculture is not commonly an activity or source of food for the poorest
of the poor – for these people, inland fisheries will continue to be
important. Better data on the size and importance of the fisheries are
required for planning.
REFERENCE:
 Www.google.com
 FAO publication.
 A textbook of biology and fisheries by S.S.Khanna
 Handbook of fisheries-ICAR
Thank you