Fish farmers in Himachal Pradesh have provided 2.5 lakh eyed ova and 8.5 lakh rainbow trout fry to Uttarakhand in 2025-26, demonstrating expertise in quality fish seed production. The state is also developing improved fish varieties like Amur carp, AHR Jayanti, and Amrit Katla, offering higher growth and fecundity to farmers. Furthermore, the state’s first Mahseer Conservation Programme released over 40,000 fingerlings of the endangered Golden Mahseer into various water bodies, earning the Fisheries Department the SKOCH Gold Award in 2025.
The fisheries sector in Himachal Pradesh has shown significant growth, with fish production reaching 60,799.66 metric tons valued at Rs 972.46 crore from January 2023 to March 2026. Annual fish production has steadily increased from 17,721.64 metric tons in 2023-24 to 20,005.97 metric tons in 2025-26, highlighting the sector’s economic contribution and improved livelihoods for fishermen and fish farmers. Reservoir fisheries have provided sustainable employment to thousands of families, with 18,649 fishermen benefiting from full-time self-employment opportunities in major reservoirs.
The Mukhya Mantri Carp Matsya Palan Yojana, initiated in 2024-25, offers a uniform subsidy of 80% to all beneficiary categories, promoting fish farming and rural income growth. Subsidies totaling Rs 146 lakh were distributed in 2024-25, with an additional Rs 48.57 lakh released in 2025-26 for constructing fish ponds. The state government’s decision to reduce royalty rates from 15% to 7.5% in 2025-26 and further to 1% in 2026-27 will directly benefit over 6,000 reservoir fishermen by enhancing their earnings and livelihoods.
