Fishing is one of economic activities which has gradually developed in Meghalaya after the attainment of Statehood. During the earlier years, fish catching was mainly from rivers and the fish so catched was generally for drying. Therefore, raw fish could not be used for commercial purpose due to the absence of favourable markets. Added to marketing problem, transportation facilities had encumbered the possibility of finding nearby markets for quick disposal of fish in raw form. Also facilities of cold storage were not available to keep raw fish for certain period of time.
With the improvement of transport facilities and the availability of cold storage amenities, fish marketing in raw form has been made possible. Demand for raw fish has increased from one period to another. In order to enable a good supply of raw fish, setting up and constriction of fishery ponds in the State had been started in different areas. In this respect, Government encouraged fish farmers to start private fish farming and subsidies either in cash or in kind has made.
Production of Fish and Fishseed in Meghalaya, 2020-21 to 2022-23:
Particular | Units | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | |||
Planned | Achievements | Planned | Achievements | Planned | Achievements | ||
Fish Production | |||||||
a) Cultured | "mt" |
| 12186.438 |
| 13595.979 |
| 14927.145 |
b) Captured | "mt" |
| 3936.538 |
| 4639.424 |
| 4446.780 |
Total Production | "mt" | 15190.2 | 16122.976 | 18650.3 | 18235.403 | 20860.500 | 19373.925 |
Fishseed Production | |||||||
a) Government Sector | " Mills" |
| 0.296 |
| 1.606 |
| 2.3350 |
b) Private sector | " Mills" |
| 13.492 |
| 17.836 |
| 19.6628 |
Total Production | " Mills" | 17.4 | 13.787 | 17.4 | 19.442 | 25.00 | 21.9978 |
Source : Statistical Handbook Meghalaya 2023
District-wise Fishseed Distribution in Meghalaya During The Year 2022-23:
(In Nos)
| District | From Departmental Ponds | From Private Farms | Procured from outside the State | Total Distribution |
| East Khasi Hills | 450000 | 693800 | 0 | 1143800 |
| West Khasi Hills | 90000 | 450000 | 190000 | 730000 |
| South-West Khasi Hills | 0 | 1974000 | 1600000 | 3574000 |
Ri-Bhoi MSFR & TI, Mawpun | 65000 | 1340000 | 3500000 | 4905000 |
| 610000 | 0 | 0 | 610000 | |
| East Jaintia Hills | 0 | 3000000 | 0 | 3000000 |
| West Jaintia Hills | 25000 | 1765000 | 672000 | 2462000 |
| East Garo Hills | 950000 | 1815000 | 2599000 | 5364000 |
| North Garo Hills | 0 | 990000 | 1248400 | 2238400 |
| West Garo Hills | 120000 | 1995000 | 8000000 | 10115000 |
| South-West Garo Hills | 0 | 3870000 | 1100000 | 4970000 |
| South Garo Hills | 25000 | 1770000 | 1000000 | 2795000 |
| Meghalaya | 2335000 | 19662800 | 19909400 | 41907200 |
Source : Statistical Handbook Meghalaya 2023
District wise Fish seed Distribution, 2000-01 to 2015-16:
(In '000 nos.)
| District/ State | 2013-2014 | 2014-2015 | 2015-2016 |
| East Khasi Hills | 1153 | 179 | 104 |
| Ri-Bhoi | 68 | 94 | 222 |
| West Khasi Hills | 1132 | 1549 | 1370 |
| West Jaintia Hills | 600 | 586 | 650 |
| East Garo Hills | 65 | 189 | - |
| West Garo Hills | 504 | 375 | 388 |
| South Garo Hills | 600 | 50 | 50 |
| South West Garo Hills | - | 453 | 584 |
| North Garo Hills | - | 1565 | 1660 |
| East Jaintia Hills | - | - | - |
| South West Khasi Hills | - | 40 | 70 |
| Meghalaya | 4122 | 5080 | 5098 |
Contd.
| District/ State | 2000- 2001 | 2001- 2002 | 2002- 2003 | 2003- 2004 | 2004- 2005 | 2005- 2006 | 2006- 2007 | 2007- 2008 | 2008- 2009 | 2009- 2010 | 2010- 2011 | 2011- 2012 | 2012- 2013 |
| East Khasi Hills | 384.0 | 372.0 | 150.9 | 134.5 | 215.7 | 211.0 | 342.0 | 391.0 | 819.0 | 968.7 | 1456.0 | 358.0 | 1153.0 |
| Ri-Bhoi | 249.0 | 368.0 | 505.0 | 418.0 | 83.5 | 267.5 | 231.7 | 505.5 | 657.5 | 1168.5 | 588.0 | 114.0 | 80.0 |
| West Khasi Hills | 260.0 | 190.0 | 100.0 | 450.0 | 367.0 | 352.0 | 142.0 | 442.0 | 405.0 | 878.5 | 1202.5 | 1237.2 | 1534.5 |
| Jaintia Hills | 91.0 | 255.7 | 42.2 | 49.0 | 60.0 | 55.0 | 59.0 | 315.0 | 477.0 | 1159.7 | 659.5 | 637.5 | 331.0 |
| East Garo Hills | 37.7 | 57.0 | 91.2 | 105.6 | 139.8 | 103.0 | 402.5 | 271.0 | 482.4 | 898.4 | 446.0 | 25.9 | 75.0 |
| West Garo Hills | 158.8 | 123.8 | 180.0 | 125.5 | 91.4 | 53.0 | 85.0 | 431.7 | 321.5 | 531.9 | 1124.9 | 671.0 | 582.3 |
| South Garo Hills | NA | NA | NA | - | - | 20.0 | 155.2 | 500 | 592.0 | 1102.0 | 1117.0 | 985.0 | 985.0 |
| Meghalaya | 1180.5 | 1366.5 | 1069.3 | 1282.6 | 957.4 | 1061.5 | 1417.4 | 2855.2 | 3754.4 | 6707.7 | 6593.9 | 4028.6 | 4740.8 |
Source : Statistical Handbook Meghalaya 2008-09, 2010-11, 2014 and 2017
District-wise Fishseed Farms Both Government and Private Sector (Cumulative) in Meghalaya During The Year 2022-23:
| District | Fish Seed Farms ( Nos) | Water Areas of the Farms in (Hect) | ||||
| Government Secto | Private Sector | Government Sector | Private Sector | |||
| Eco- Hatcheries | FRPs | Eco- Hatcheries | FRPs | |||
| East Khasi Hills | 2 | 4 | 3 | 1.239 | 4.500 | 3.000 |
| West Khasi Hills | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.754 | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| South-West Khasi Hills | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.048 | 2.000 | 1.000 |
Ri-Bhoi MSFR&TI, Mawpun MSFBB, Umktieh | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1.969 | 6.000 | 1.500 |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.845 | 0.000 | 0.000 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.899 | 0.000 | 0.000 | |
| East Jaintia Hills | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0.000 | 4.000 |
| West Jaintia Hills | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0.15 | 3.000 | 4.000 |
| East Garo Hills | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2.379 | 1.300 | 3.200 |
| North Garo Hills | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0.59 | 0.000 | 5.400 |
| West Garo Hills | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1.572 | 1.000 | 2.100 |
| South-West Garo Hills | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 4.000 | 6.000 |
| South Garo Hills | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0.37 | 0.840 | 1.060 |
| Meghalaya | 17 | 16 | 31 | 10.815 | 22.640 | 31.260 |
Source : Statistical Handbook Meghalaya 2023
District-wise Numbers Of Fisheries (Cumulative) in Meghalaya Upto The Year 2022-23:
| District | No of existing Ponds and Water area brought under Fish Culture | No of existing Ponds and Water area available for composite Fish Culture | Fish Sanctuaries (Existing) cumulative | ||
| Nos | Water Area in 'Hect' | Nos | Water Area in 'Hect' | Nos | |
| East Khasi Hills | 2295 | 271.00 | 2295 | 271.00 | 15 |
| West Khasi Hills | 2458 | 297.60 | 2458 | 297.60 | 7 |
| South-West Khasi Hills | 1758 | 205.65 | 1758 | 205.65 | 5 |
| Ri-Bhoi | 3948 | 479.05 | 3948 | 479.05 | 2 |
| East Jaintia Hills | 1799 | 231.90 | 1799 | 231.90 | 4 |
| West Jaintia Hills | 2744 | 326.20 | 2744 | 326.20 | 13 |
| East Garo Hills | 2599 | 321.85 | 2599 | 321.85 | 9 |
| West Garo Hills | 11127 | 1398.49 | 11127 | 1398.49 | 9 |
| North Garo Hills | 2124 | 279.80 | 2124 | 279.80 | 3 |
| South Garo Hills | 2239 | 224.60 | 2239 | 224.60 | 14 |
| South-West Garo Hills | 3134 | 654.80 | 1550 | 350.00 | 0 |
| Meghalaya | 36225 | 4690.94 | 34641 | 4386.14 | 81 |
Source : Statistical Handbook Meghalaya 2023
District-wise Fish Production, Import, Export Etc. in Meghalaya During 2022-23:
| District | Numbers of Persons engaged in Fisheries activities (cumulative) | Fish Production in the state in 'mt' | Fish Imported from other States in 'mt' | Fish exported to other States in 'mt' |
| East Khasi Hills | 200 | 889.38 | 14010 | NIL |
| West Khasi Hills | 794 | 710.54 | 4.6 | |
| South-West Khasi Hills | 1758 | 683 | 126.5 | |
Ri-Bhoi MSFR&TI, Mawpun | 5103 | 1934.19 | 2.5 | |
| 0 | 0.115 | 0 | ||
| East Jaintia Hills | 750 | 870 | 13.5 | |
| West Jaintia Hills | 2538 | 1061.5 | 92 | |
| East Garo Hills | 900 | 1500 | 186.6 | |
| North Garo Hills | 2700 | 1200 | 236.1 | |
| West Garo Hills | 3168 | 5260 | 369 | |
| South-West Garo Hills | 2728 | 4025 | 0 | |
| South Garo Hills | 2969 | 1240.2 | 27 | |
| Meghalaya | 23608 | 19373.93 | 15067.8 | 0 |
Source : Statistical Handbook Meghalaya 2023
District-wise Existing Water Area Of The Departmental Fishseed Farms (Functioning) (Cumulative) in Meghalaya During The Year 2022-23:
| District | Stocking Ponds | Rearing Ponds | Nursery Ponds | Grand Total | ||||
| Nos | Water Area (Ha) | Nos | Water Area (Ha) | Nos | Water Area (Ha) | Nos | Water Area (Ha) | |
| East Khasi Hills | 4 | 0.299 | 5 | 0.39 | 15 | 0.49 | 24 | 1.179 |
| West Khasi Hills | 4 | 0.157 | 5 | 0.195 | 12 | 0.144 | 21 | 0.496 |
| South-West Khasi Hills | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.038 | 1 | 0.01 | 2 | 0.048 |
Ri-Bhoi MSFR&TI, Mawpun | 1 | 0.07 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0.073 | 4 | 0.143 |
| 6 | 1.217 | 5 | 0.311 | 16 | 0.195 | 27 | 1.723 | |
| East Jaintia Hills | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| West Jaintia Hills | 1 | 0.02 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0.13 | 8 | 0.15 |
| East Garo Hills | 4 | 0.5 | 3 | 0.11 | 6 | 0.069 | 13 | 0.679 |
| North Garo Hills | 1 | 0.25 | 2 | 0.24 | 2 | 0.08 | 5 | 0.57 |
| West Garo Hills | 11 | 0.705 | 8 | 0.18 | 6 | 0.145 | 25 | 1.03 |
| South-West Garo Hills | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| South Garo Hills | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.07 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.07 |
| Meghalaya | 32 | 3.218 | 30 | 1.534 | 68 | 1.336 | 130 | 6.088 |
Source : Statistical Handbook Meghalaya 2023
District-wise Fishery Resources in Meghalaya as on 31.12.2022:
| District | Rivers and Streams in 'Km' | Reservoirs in 'Ha' | Lakes in 'Ha' | Bheels in 'Ha' | Swamps and low lying areas in 'Ha' | Ponds & Tanks Private in 'Ha'As on 31.3.2023 |
| East Khasi Hills | 508.04 | 5.80 | 8.03 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 271.00 |
| West Khasi Hills | 640.00 | 0.00 | 1.90 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 297.60 |
| South-West Khasi Hills | 345.97 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.50 | 0.00 | 205.65 |
| Ri-Bhoi | 511.00 | 690.00 | 2.50 | 0.60 | 7.04 | 479.05 |
| East Jaintia Hills | 352.85 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 231.90 |
| West Jaintia Hills | 284.00 | 21.73 | 7.90 | 0.00 | 18.00 | 326.20 |
| East Garo Hills | 485.20 | 0.00 | 12.57 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 321.85 |
| North Garo Hills | 172.00 | 0.00 | 13.60 | 0.00 | 41.00 | 279.80 |
| West Garo Hills | 404.00 | 0.00 | 2.00 | 150.40 | 0.00 | 1398.49 |
| South-West Garo Hills | 375.70 | 0.00 | 16.98 | 68.93 | 236.50 | 654.80 |
| South Garo Hills | 679.00 | 0.00 | 7.70 | 9.50 | 0.00 | 224.60 |
| Meghalaya | 4757.76 | 717.53 | 73.18 | 229.93 | 302.54 | 4690.94 |
Source : Statistical Handbook Meghalaya 2023
Number of Fishermen Population Engaged in Fisheries Activities in Meghalaya During The Year 2020-21, 2021-22 & 2022-23:
| State | Sector | Activities | Gender | Total no. of Population | ||
| 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | ||||
| MEGHALAYA | Inland | Full Time | Male | 1925 | 1532 | 1854 |
| Female | 710 | 622 | 846 | |||
| Children | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Part Time | Male | 3775 | 3603 | 3853 | ||
| Female | 2638 | 2539 | 2655 | |||
| Children | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Occasional | Male | 5480 | 5023 | 5820 | ||
| Female | 1461 | 1362 | 1214 | |||
| Children | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Unspecified | Male | 401 | 329 | 270 | ||
| Female | 57 | 12 | 0 | |||
| Children | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Grand Total | Male | 11581 | 10487 | 11797 | ||
| Female | 4866 | 4535 | 4715 | |||
| Children | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
Source : Statistical Handbook Meghalaya 2023
Fish Farming, Production Fry Fingerlings and Fish Production in Meghalaya, 1978-79, 1983-84, 1988-89, 1993-94 to 2015-16:
| Year | Fish Seed Farm (Nos.) | Nursery Area (Hectare) | Bheel and Lake (Hectare) | Total water area for Composite Fish Farming | Fry and Fishing Product (Million) | Inland Fish Production both Captured & Cultured Fisheries ('000 tonnes) |
| 1978-1979 | 12 | 3.07 | 106.10 | 5.92 | 0.15 | 0.45 |
| 1983-1984 | - | N.A. | 117.4 | 9.15 | 0.22 | N.A. |
| 1988-1989 | 11 | 5.92 | 357.4 | 37.71 | 0.36 | 4.6 |
| 1993-1994 | 14 | 3.7 | 375.0 | 3.3 | 1.3 | 4.0 |
| 1994-1995 | 15 | 2.25 | 402.0 | 17.6 | 0.9 | 4.1 |
| 1995-1996 | 15 | 2.3 | 358.0 | 175.8 | 0.8 | 3.6 |
| 1996-1997 | 15 | 2.4 | 358.0 | 181.37 | 0.5 | 4.4 |
| 1997-1998 | 13 | 2.6 | 358.0 | 105.84 | 0.7 | 4.4 |
| 1998-1999 | 14 | - | - | 205.2 | 0.7 | 4.5 |
| 1999-2000 | 14 | 3.2 | 385.0 | 207.0 | 1.1 | 4.7 |
| 2000-2001 | 14 | 3.3 | 414.8 | 194.1 | 0.7 | 6.2 |
| 2001-2002 | 14 | 3.3 | 414.8 | 326.1 | 1.1 | 5.0 |
| 2002-2003 | 14 | 3.5 | 414.8 | 375.1 | 0.9 | 5.4 |
| 2003-2004 | 14 | 3.5 | 414.8 | 367.4 | 0.9 | 5.1 |
| 2004-2005 | 14 | 3.1 | 146.8 | 115.9 | 0.9 | 5.6 |
| 2005-2006 | 14 | 3.3 | 414.8 | 130.5 | 0.8 | 5.5 |
| 2006-2007 | 14 | 3.9 | 399.6 | 277.7 | 1.0 | 5.0 |
| 2007-2008 | 14 | 3.4 | 399.6 | 404.6 | 0.9 | 4.0 |
| 2008-2009 | 14 | 3.4 | 220.0 | 257.0 | 1.13 | 3.9 |
| 2009-2010 | 14 | 1.0 | 220.0 | 379.0 | 1.15 | 4.3 |
| 2010-2011 | 14 | 1.2 | 220.0 | 310.8 | 2.9 | 4.5 |
| 2011-2012 | 14 | 2.4 | 886.6 | 975.9 | 0.9 | 4.8 |
| 2012-2013 | 14 | 2.9 | 886.6 | 1057.4 | 0.7 | 5.4 |
| 2013-2014 | 14 | 2.6 | 884.84 | 1164.6 | 1.0 | 5.7 |
| 2014-2015 | 15 | 4.16 | 926.00 | 1859.00 | 0.7 | 6.0 |
| 2015-2016 | 15 | 4.79 | 926.00 | 1659.00 | 0.8 | 11.3 |
Source : Directorate of Economics & Statistics, Govt. of Meghalaya
Statistical Handbook of Meghalaya 2010-11, 2014 and 2017