Sport Fishes in Northeast India

An attempt is made herewith to identify a few key native and exotic fish species found in the aquatic resources of northeast India having economic importance as sport fishes. Most of these species are harvested from nature for food and are consumed locally. The human intervention due to the growing population has caused immense fishing pressure on the natural resources and henceforth resulting into drastic decline in the fish catch, species diversity along with unprecedented changes in the fish habitat. However, catching these fishes for fun and adventure through angling on the principle of ‘catch and release’ may offer high remuneration to the river dwellers and the local communities. It is the need of the hour to understand the importance of these fishes which determines the quality of a river or a natural resource in the northeast region of India. Altogether, three major groups and a miscellaneous group of fishes are enlisted herewith along with their distribution in relevant aquatic resources. This information is expected to help in understanding the wide availability of the sports fishes in the region and in planning to take up policies for their conservation and propagation.