Fish Harvesting Systems of Assam

Fishing has been an important source of food supply for the fishing communities of Assam since the early days which led to evolution of a diverse range of fishing devices to collect fish and other aquatic animals from very simple tools to the present sophisticated fishing methods. Information on recent advances on fishing technology in inland waters is scattered and textbooks dealing with fishing gears and methods are scanty. An attempt has been made in this book to classify and describe the different fish catching gears with related fishing methods which are traditionally and commercially used in the river valleys of Assam, based on surveys carried out in a number of fishermen colonies, fishing villages, fish auction centres of Assam, where lessees and fishermen were interviewed for collecting technical specifications of different types of gears. It is expected that this effort will bridge the gap existing in this field and shall be able to provide a useful teaching aid and attract attention of the students, teachers, researchers, policy makers, development officers, craftsmen and stakeholders engaged with fishing and exploitation of aquatic resources.