Development of cold water fisheries

The Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying is implementing the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) with an investment of Rs 20,050 crore across all states/UTs, alongside the Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF) of Rs 7,522.48 crore (effective FY 2018‑19). Under PMMSY, the Department has approved projects worth Rs 706 crore for Himalayan and hilly states, focusing on cold‑water fisheries. A Model Guidelines for the Development of Cold Water Fisheries was issued on 14 March 2026, detailing specifications for raceways, RAS, hatcheries, feed mills, disease control and market linkages. Four clusters have been notified in Anantnag (J&K), Pithoragarh (Uttarakhand), Kargil (Ladakh) and Kullu (Himachal Pradesh). The department promotes technologies such as RAS, Biofloc, IoT‑based water quality monitoring, GIS mapping and digital market platforms, with model RAS developed by ICAR‑CICFR, Bhimtal, and processing support by ICAR‑CIFT, Kochi.