Women constitute 10.10 million of the country’s inland fishing population. However, their contributions to post-harvest activities and unpaid family work remain inadequately documented, according to a report by the Bay of Bengal Programme Inter-Governmental Organisation (BOBP-IGO) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO). | Photo Credit: BISWARANJANROUT

Women account for nearly 44 per cent of India’s 23.12 million inland fishers, while pollution, habitat degradation and competing demands for freshwater pose major challenges to the sector’s sustainability, according to a report by the Bay of Bengal Programme Inter-Governmental Organisation (BOBP-IGO) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO).

The country profile on India’s inland small-scale fisheries highlights the need to improve the representation of women in fisheries statistics and development planning, while addressing environmental pressures and livelihood challenges.

Women constitute 10.10 million of the country’s inland fishing population. However, their contributions to post-harvest activities and unpaid family work remain inadequately documented, the report notes.

The profile was presented at the launch workshop on the National Plan of Action (NPOA) for Small-Scale Inland Fisheries in Bhopal.

Pollution, habitat degradation and disrupted river connectivity are among the key concerns identified. Competing demands for water from irrigation and other sectors, along with floods, droughts and reservoir drawdown, further threaten fisheries resources and the livelihoods of dependent communities.

Insecure fishing access and leasing arrangements, as well as overlapping responsibilities among fisheries, irrigation, forest, revenue and local authorities, are other issues requiring attention.

“These concerns assume greater significance amid growing attention to climate resilience and the need to manage freshwater resources sustainably,” said P. Krishnan, Director of BOBP-IGO. Maintaining aquatic habitats and integrating fisheries into broader water-resource planning are essential to sustaining fish populations and local livelihoods, he added.

Flagging gaps in data collection, Krishnan said subsistence fishing and informal marketing channels remain under-represented in available statistics. Better recognition of women’s roles is crucial to understanding the sector’s workforce and ensuring that development initiatives reflect their needs and contributions.

Improved data on fishers, catches and individual water-body ecosystems would help authorities design targeted interventions and assess the contribution of small-scale fisheries to livelihoods and food security, he said.

BOBP-IGO provides operational guidance and technical support for developing NPOAs across Bay of Bengal countries, translating regional priorities into country-level action.

The two-day national launch workshop is being organised by the Department of Fisheries in collaboration with BOBP-IGO and hosted by the Madhya Pradesh government. With technical oversight from FAO and scientific support from ICAR fisheries institutes, it aims to establish a coordinated framework for sustainable resource management, stakeholder engagement and livelihood security, in line with FAO’s Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries.

Published on October 22, 2026