Pariksha SaathiFisheries Secretary reviews Pithoragarh coldwater fisheries cluster: trout output near 5,000 MT, Rs 2,299 crore invested in hill states under PMMSY
Fisheries Secretary Dr Abhilaksh Likhi chaired a review of the Pithoragarh Coldwater Fisheries Cluster in Uttarakhand on 19 October 2026 with trout farmers, state officials, ICAR-DCFR Bhimtal, NABARD, NFDB and MPEDA, the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying said. The Government has notified coldwater fisheries clusters in Pithoragarh (Uttarakhand), Kullu (Himachal Pradesh), Anantnag (Jammu and Kashmir) and Kargil (Ladakh); India's coldwater fisheries are concentrated in six hilly states and UTs, which also include Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. Under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), over Rs 2,299 crore has been invested in hilly states, with more than 5,600 raceways, 54 hatcheries, 293 cold storages and 260 feed mills sanctioned; trout production has grown six-fold in a decade to nearly 5,000 MT a year, and Uttarakhand made its first international export, 5 MT of trout to Nepal, in June 2026. In Uttarakhand, Rs 317 crore has been invested over six years, and over 45 MT of trout worth Rs 2.10 crore has been supplied to ITBP posts. Gaps discussed included seed (15 lakh fingerlings produced against a demand of 40 lakh) and productivity (250 kg per raceway against a potential of 1,000 kg).
Drafted with AI assistance from the official PIB release linked above and checked against it by a second AI pass. Not line-edited by a human.
Learning context
The Union Cabinet approved the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) on 20 May 2020 with an investment of Rs 20,050 crore, described as the highest ever in the fisheries sector: a Central share of Rs 9,407 crore, a State share of Rs 4,880 crore and beneficiaries’ contribution of Rs 5,763 crore. It was to run for five years, FY 2020-21 to FY 2024-25, in all States and UTs, as an umbrella scheme with a Central Sector Scheme component and a Centrally Sponsored Scheme component.
Reference: PIB release of 20 May 2020, Cabinet approves PMMSY
Check yourself: which institute did the Secretary credit with introducing rainbow trout to Munsiyari?
ICAR-DCFR, Bhimtal, which he also credited with supporting Uttarakhand’s export of 5 MT of trout to Nepal in June 2026.
Revision task: from this release, note the four notified clusters, the six hilly states and UTs, the PMMSY investment and sanction figures, trout output and the Nepal export, and keep them apart from the scheme’s standing facts above.
Test yourself
Coldwater fisheries clusters have been notified in Pithoragarh, Kullu, Anantnag and which other place, according to the Fisheries Department's release of 19 October 2026?
Show the answer
Answer: Kargil
The Government has notified coldwater fisheries clusters in Pithoragarh (Uttarakhand), Kullu (Himachal Pradesh), Anantnag (Jammu and Kashmir) and Kargil (Ladakh).
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