RESERVOIR AND CULTURE-BASED FISHERIES: BIOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT

Abstract

Reservoirs are an important water resource in Asia. Inland fisheries in the world account for about 9% of total fish production, and of these, Asia accounts for nearly 60% of world production. In the light of stabilising marine fish catches, inland fisheries, in particular reservoir fishery potential, need to be exploited. The reservoir resource is diverse and therefore the strategies to be adopted for optimising yields are also different. In small reservoirs, culture-based fisheries have been very effective, particularly in the case of China, with a current production of 1 165 075 Mt (from a total area of 1 567 971 ha), amounting to 743 kg/ha/yr. The reasons for this success are discussed. Fish production in large reservoirs is very variable and there is very little information on stocking, the cost-effectiveness of which has not been demonstrated adequately.