Bombay duck, anchovies, cephalopods, perches and Carangidae are also abundantly seen. Indian Fisheries often fluctuate, and depend largely on the vagaries of the monsoons. Conservation measures have been adopted in both the east and west coasts by enforcing closed seasons during the breeding seasons of important species. There have been significant inputs to marine fisheries development in recent years. In order to improve the marketing of fresh fish internally, a number of cold storage, ice plants and cold chains have also been established.
Export trade is completely in the hands of the private sector.
Despite attempts to reduce post-harvest losses, handling fresh fish with a minimum of spoilage is still a distant reality in view of the vastness of the country and the large number of landing centres. Considerable attention needs to be paid to this aspect. Inland production, including farming, is now catching up with production from the marine sector and is likely to overtake marine capture fisheries in the next millennium. Inland production includes catches from rivers, upland lakes, peninsular tanks, reservoirs and oxbow lakes. The estimated area of brackish water available for aquaculture is 1.19 million ha.