| Abstract: |
Fisheries occupy a curious position in North East India's rural economy everywhere present, rarely centred in policy conversation. This paper examines how small-scale and subsistence fisheries contribute to household income, employment, and food security across five states of the region: Assam, Tripura, Manipur, Meghalaya, and Arunachal Pradesh. Drawing on primary household-level survey data collected from 420 respondents across twelve districts, alongside secondary production statistics from state fisheries departments, the study builds a socio-economic profile of fishery-dependent versus non-fishery households. The analysis shows that fishery-dependent households earn between 18 and 24 % more annually than their non-fishery counterparts in comparable agro-climatic zones, a gap that widens further when aquaculture is combined with paddy-cum-fish farming. Employment generated by the sector has grown steadily, from roughly 4.1 lakh persons in 2015 to 6.8 lakh in 2023, though this growth remains uneven across states Assam and Tripura account for the bulk of it, while hill states like Meghalaya and Nagaland lag considerably behind. Five categories of data are examined in tabular form: production trends, household income differentials, employment patterns, credit access, and infrastructure gaps. The discussion situates these findings against earlier regional studies and argues that fisheries, despite modest absolute output compared to major producing states, function as a disproportionately important safety net for landless and marginal rural households. The paper concludes that targeted investment in cold-chain infrastructure and cooperative credit could substantially amplify the sector's rural development contribution [1]. |
