Prawn and fish farming is an important source of income and employment for the local populace in the Sunderban region in West Bengal. These have led to a dynamism in the local economy in these areas. The results of this study suggest that the impact of this development has been skewed, whereby a small section of the population with access to capital has enjoyed substantial benefits and a large majority of the population was left out of the development trajectory.
More than 10.86 Million Indians depend on rivers, wetlands, floodplains, estuaries, ponds and tanks for subsistence
and market-based fisheries. Though the absolute contribution of riverine fisheries may not be huge in economic
Traditionally, India was recognized as a fish-eating country, but it was only after Independence that fishery has been recognized as an important allied sector of Indian agriculture. Over ten-fold increase in fish production-from 0.75 million tonnes in 1950-51 to 8.0 million tonnes in 2009-10 amply justifies vibrancy of this sector that has been exhibited in the country during the last six decades.
Fisherfolk in the Hooghly are enjoying boom time, with the Farakka Barrage having barred highly valued Hilsa from moving upstream, where procurement has fallen drastically. The average annual catch
