FEATURE

Catfish production
in India: Present status and
by Dr B. Laxmappa, Fisheries Development Officer, Department of Fisheries,

atfish, which is a significant group of the fishes in

wetlands, are economically important with a high nutrient
value. Catfishes, owing to their unique taste, few bones,
are considered a delicacy for the fish consumers, but
production of different indigenous catfishes through aquaculture is
unexplored in India, although aquaculture contribution of some of
the catfish varieties like Ictalurus, Silurus and Clarias spp. has been
exemplary in the World scenario.
Catfishes are the second major group of freshwater fishes. India,
being a mega-diverse country, harbors 197 catfish species from 52
genera. The Indian families include Amblycipitidae (Torrent catfishes),
Akysidae (Stream catfishes), Bagridae (Bagrid catfishes), Chacidae
(Square head or angler catfish), Clariidae (Air breathing catfishes),
Heteropneustidae (Air-sac catfishes), Olyridae (Long-tail catfishes),
Pangasiidae (Shark catfishes), Plotosidae (Eel-tail catfishes), Schilbeidae
(Schilbid catfishes), Siluridae (Sheat fishes), Sisoridae (Sisorid catfishes).

Present status

Considering the high market demand for catfish and the availability of a huge potential resource in the form of many inland water
resources, commercial farming of these species is presently receiving
important attention. In India catfish production is coming from both the
systems of inland resources i.e. capture and aquaculture.
Capture: The inland water resources of the country are in terms
of rivers, estuaries, backwaters and lagoons, reservoirs, floodplain
wetlands and upland lakes, which contribute about 1.05 million
tonnes of fish annually. The principal rivers of India as Yamuna, Ganga,
Brahmaputra, Mahanandi, Godavari, Krishna and Cauvery including
their main tributaries and distributaries harbors about 11.5 percent
of the fish fauna so far know in the world. Many of the catfish species
start from 15 grams size (Mystus tengara) to very large about 50 Kg size
(Hemibagrus maydelli) harvested from these water sources in India.
And many of the well-known food catfishes are also fine sporting fishes.
Aquaculture: Ponds and tanks are the prime resources for freshwa-

prospects

ter aquaculture; however, only about 40 percent of the available area

is used for aquaculture currently. In northern India, open waters with
in-flows are common, while southern India has watersheds, termed as
tanks, largely used for crop irrigation along with carp fish culture.
After carps, catfish production is also
Table 1: Catfish production in India from
increasing
tremen2001 to 2010
dously throughout the
Year Inland fish
Catfish
Catfish
India since 2001 (Table:
production production
%
1). Out of 197 catfish
(in tonnes) (in tonnes)
species available in
2001
3084247
78367
2.54
Indian region, about 30
2002
3165927
101488
3.20
catfish species are eco2003
3220407
106282
3.30
nomical and which are
2004
3527505
78990
2.23
produced mainly from
2005
3727375
132342
3.55
capture fishery, and a
2006
3750736
130027
3.46
couple of catfish spe2007
4170560
125800
3.01
cies are produced from
2008
3799563
174503
4.59
both the aquaculture
and capture fishery in
2009
4660463
179843
3.85
the country (Table: 2).
2010
5077200
212462
4.18
There are six catfish
Table 3: Commercially cultured Catfish species in India.
Sl. Family
No.

Common Name

Scientific Name

Clariidae

Magur

Clarias batrachus (Linnaeus)

Clariidae

African catfish
or Thai magur

Clarias gariepinus (Burchell)

Heteropneustidae Singhi or stinging catfish

Heteropneustes fossilis

Siluridae

Butter catfish

Ompok bimaculatus

Pangasiidae

Pangas

Pangasius pangasius

Pangasiidae

Sutchi catfish

Pangasianodon
hypophthalmus

16 | INTERNATIONAL AQUAFEED | September-October 2015

FEATURE

species are cultured in India (Table 3). Among six, only two catfish
species viz. Pangasianodon and African catfish culture is intensified in
the country due to its higher production rates by using various local
as well as commercial feeding methods. Of late, Government of India
permitted culture of Pangasianodon and Tilapia species laying down
strict guidelines as an alternative crop to carp fishes.
Pangasius sutchi or Pangasianodon hypophthalmus one of the swift
growing catfishes was first introduced into India in the year 19951996
in the state of West Bengal from Thailand through Bangladesh. Initially

Table 2: Important commercial Catfish species and source of production in India

Sl.
No.
1

farming was carried out in limited area in the States of West

Bengal and Andhra Pradesh. This fish grows to 11.5 kg during one year. A minimum of 1015 tonnes/hectare/year is
harvested through due to culture of this fish.
In commercial culture of Pangasianodon farmers are using
both pelleted and extruded feeds. Due to high feed cost and
fluctuation in production costs, in some areas farmers are using
local feeds like cooked corn grains, broken rice, chicken waste
etc.
African catfish or Thai magur, Clarias gariepinus culture was banned
in India under Environment Protection Act. But many fishermen still
cultivating this banned catfish illegally in village ponds to make a quick
buck. This species was clandestinely introduced into the state of West
Bengal possibly during 1994 from neighboring Bangladesh and quickly
spread throughout the country, including into cold regions as well as
coastal areas. It is largely cultured in the states of West Bengal, Punjab,
Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Assam, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and
Telangana. Clarias gariepinus is usually fed waste intestines and skin of
chickens so it grows fast than compared to
other local species catfish or carps fish with
low feeding cost.

Species

Family

Source of
production

Common name

Scientific name

Gangetic mystus

Mystus cavasius (Hamilton)

Bagridae

Capture

Prospects

Days mystus

Mystus bleekeri (Day)

Bagridae

Capture

Tengara mystus

Mystus tengara (Hamilton)

Bagridae

Capture

Gogra rita

Rita gogra (Sykes)

Bagridae

Capture

Giant river catfish

Aorichthys seenghala (Sykes)

Bagridae

Capture

Long-whiskerd catfish

Aorichthys aor (Hamilton)

Bagridae

Capture
Capture

Krishna mystus

Hemibagrus maydelli (Rossell)

Bagridae

Indian butter-catfish

Ompok bimaculatus (Bloch)

Siluridae

Capture

Pabdah catfish

Ompok pabda (Hamilton)

Siluridae

Capture & Aquaculture

10

Boal

Wallago attu (Bloch & Schneider)

Siluridae

Capture

11

White catfish

Silonia children (Sykes)

Schilbidae

Capture

12

Khavalchor catfish

Neotropius khavalchor Kulkarni

Schilbidae

Capture

13

Goongwaree vacha

Eutropiichthys goongwaree
(Sykes)

Schilbidae

Capture

14

Indian potasi

Pseudeutropius atherinoides
(Bloch)

Schilbeidae

Capture

15

Gangetic goonch

Bagarius bagarius (Hamilton)

Sisoridae

Capture

16

Stinging catfish

Heteropneustes fossilis (Bloch)

Heteropneustidae

Capture & Aquaculture

17

Magur

Clarias batrachus (Linnaeus)

Clariidae

Capture & Aquaculture

18

African catfish

Clarias gariepinus (Burchell)*

Clariidae

Aquaculture

19

Pungas

Pangasius pangasius (Hamilton)

Pangasidae

Capture

20

Sutchi catfish

Pangasianodon hypophthalmus*

Pangasidae

Aquaculture

*Exotic species

Aquaculture in India has become an industry since late eighties with several entrepreneurs taking up aquaculture with carps,
catfishes and prawns. Of late, Government
of India has also identified catfish farming as
a National Priority and has emphasised on
diversification of culture practices. The major
chunk of catfish, however, comes from capture resources, which includes air breathing
as well as non-air-breathing varieties. Airbreathing catfishes have greater potentiality to
utilise shallow, swampy, marshy and derelict
water-bodies for aquaculture; whereas nonair-breathing catfishes can be well suited to
normal pond environment.
Among the catfishes magur, Clarias batrachus is the only species that has received
much attention. Singhi, Heteropneustes fossilis is another air-breathing catfish species
being cultured to a certain extent in swamps
and derelict water bodies, especially in the
eastern states. In recent years, attempts have
been made to develop the culture of non-air
breathing catfishes like Pangasius pangasius,
Wallagoattu, Aorichthys seenghala, A. aor and
Ompok pabda.

September-October 2015 | INTERNATIONAL AQUAFEED | 17