Fishing in Bhutan

A significant food source in Bhutan is fishing, both from cold-water streams and lakes (primarily trout) and warm-water fisheries (primarily carp).^[1]

Fishing industry

A growing demand for fish as a dietary supplement was reported in the mid-1970s following a 1974 FAO aquaculture study and a 1976 FAO survey of rivers and lakes to determine the level of fish stock.^[1] Fisheries were developed, and carp were imported from Assam.^[1] In 1977 the Department of Animal Husbandry established a Fishery Development Program, initially for stocking rivers with game fish and for developing commercial capability as a long-term goal.^[1]

Between 1979 and 1987, an average of 1,000 tons of fish were caught or produced annually.^[1] Another FAO survey was conducted in 1981, and the government included fishery development for the first time in the Fifth Development Plan.^[1]

The Integrated Fisheries Development Project was started at Geylegphug in 1985.^[1] The National Warm Water Fish Culture Centre supplied fish to farmers, and some twenty-one tons of carp were produced at fisheries for local and national consumption.^[1] To control cold-water fishing, the Department of Forestry issued fishing licenses and enforced seasonal and fishsize prohibitions.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Worden, Robert L. "Fisheries". A Country Study: Bhutan (Andrea Matles Savada, editor). Library of Congress Federal Research Division (September 1991). This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.