The diets and dishes of the locals of Arunachal Pradesh are predominantly non-vegetarian. Fish, along with meat and egg is the hot favorite item on the menu chart. But the production of fish in Arunachal Pradesh is far below the demand. So they has to import fishes from other states of India, mainly from Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal. This has prompted the governing bodies of the state to lay more stress on pisciculture and meet their own demands. Fisheries in Arunachal Pradesh has a bright prospect for the fact that the state has potential for both cold and warm water fisheries.
The number of riverine, comprising of rivers and streams and the inland water bodies like lakes, reservoirs and ponds are huge in Arunachal Pradesh. But the rapid growth of weeds and hyacinth, polluted water bodies, deficiency of nutrients, insufficiency of fish seeds have been the prime reasons for nominal production of fishes in Arunachal Pradesh.
To make pisciculture in Arunachal Pradesh productive, the water bodies of the state should be thoroughly cleaned and processed. The production of fish must be increased manifold and distributed among the fish-farmers. Private farms should be encouraged by the Government and integrated rice-fish systems must also be developed. Fisheries has been dealt with utmost importance in East Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh and now contributes bulk of the production of the state. Simultaneously, Bomdilla, Itanagar and Zero have also become major sites for fisheries in Arunachal Pradesh. The Law and Judicial Department of the Government of Arunachal Pradesh has declared some Rights to Fisheries. The important ones are:
- The Fishery Department of Arunachal Pradesh shall manage all the water bodies in the state.
- The revenue earned from pisciculture must be deposited in the Departmental Head of Account.
- If any person tries to destroy the fishes, he or she will be liable for severe punishments.
