Directorate of Fisheries

Fisheries in the national economy have gained importance both as a foreign exchange earner and as a generator of employment.  In addition this sector has assumed the characteristics of an industrial enterprise.  Fish is the cheapest source of protein available for human diet.  The Department of Fisheries was established in the year 1957 with an object to give fillip for production of fish by utilising the rich resources in Marine and Inland sector.  Karnataka has about 5.93 lakh ha of inland water resources, 8000 ha of brackish water and 320 km of coastline with 27,000 Sq.km of continental shelf.  The department is implementing several schemes for the better utilization of the resources and for the welfare of fishermen in particular and public in general.

The fish production in Karnataka was around 2.0 lakh tons in early eighties and reached to a peak of over 3.0 lakh tons in mid nineties. The average fish production in the last 5 years is about 5.65 lakh tons with the contribution of Marine sector being 66 % and Inland sector 34 % for the year. The fish production from the state contributed about 5.86% of India’s total fish production for the year 2013-14. The current level of per-capita fish availability in the state is around 6.8 kg. The contribution of Fisheries Sector to GSDP at current prices during 1993-94 was Rs 16,316 lakhs and it has increased to Rs 286273 lakhs in 2012-13.