Ecological wisdom & governance must come together to conserve Odisha’s rich freshwater faunal diversity

Freshwater native fish represent immense biodiversity, comprising over 25 per cent of all vertebrates, despite inhabiting less than 1 per cent of Earth's surface. Major threats include habitat degradation, pollution, overexploitation and invasive species.

Conservation requires mitigating these anthropogenic pressures, implementing sustainable management and establishing protected areas to combat alarming population declines.

Odisha possesses a rich freshwater fish fauna with 186 recorded species, predominantly in the Cyprinidae family, inhabiting diverse ecosystems like the Mahanadi and Saberi rivers. Some 48 endemic species are reported in the eastern state. However, these native populations face significant threats from habitat loss, pollution and the introduction of exotic species, with nearly all species identified as threatened.

People’s lives and livelihoods depend on access to water. We have long overstretched this precious resource, with freshwater ecosystems disappearing three times faster than forests.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species, 24 per cent of the world’s freshwater fish, dragonfly, damselfly, crab, crayfish and shrimp species are at high risk of extinction.

India has some 3,523 fish species belonging to 1,097 genera and 272 families of 55 orders, according to The Fauna of India Checklist published by the Zoological Survey of India in July 2024. A total of 664 species are endemic to India. High endemism is reported from the Western Ghats and northeast India. A total of 291 species are in the threatened category (38 Critically Endangered, 105 Endangered, and 148 Vulnerable).

Among the states, the highest number of threatened species is reported from Kerala with 129 species, followed by Tamil Nadu with 121 species, Karnataka with 96 species, Andaman and Nicobar with 94 species, Andhra Pradesh with 83 species, Gujarat with 66 species, Odisha with 64 species and West Bengal with 60 species.

In the first census of the waterbodies released by the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti (water resources) in April 2023, there were 2.42 million waterbodies across the length and breadth of India, out of which 97.1 per cent were in rural areas. Odisha contributed 7.5 per cent (181,837) of the waterbodies of India. It has the 4th-highest number of ponds, 2nd-highest number of tanks, 5th-highest number of lakes and 4th-highest number of reservoirs.

Odisha’s coastline and its adjoining river systems host a rich assemblage of freshwater fish that are important for food, livelihoods, culture and ecosystem functioning. Recent regional surveys and checklists show that the state’s freshwater fauna is diverse, including widespread food-fishes, ornamental species, endemic taxa and habitat specialists. 

Geographically diversified in many aspects, Odisha has 707,000 hectares of freshwater resources. It is one of the major fish-producing states in India and ranks 4th in total fish production at the national level after Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Karnataka. It also has one of the highest fish-consuming populations in India.

As per the National Family Health Survey-5 (2019-21), 94.75 per cent of people in Odisha consume fish. The per-capita fish consumption in the state has increased from 7.71 kg in 2000-01 to 18.33 kg in 2023-24.

Odisha ranked fifth nationally in inland fish production. Freshwater fish production was 543,000 tonnes in 2019-20 and increased to 734,000 tonnes in 2023-24. At the same time, per capita fish consumption in the state (18.33 kg / year) is more than double the national average (8.89 kg / year). 

Odisha’s coast is a vast network of rivers, estuaries, floodplain wetlands and hill-fed streams that sustains a remarkable variety of freshwater native fish, where large cyprinids, catfishes and clupeids migrate and spawn.

The hill streams of the Eastern Ghats, which host rheophilic (fast-water) specialists such as Garra, Schistura and hillstream loaches. Seasonal floods connect rivers with estuaries, allowing migratory carps and clupeids to spawn.

Each monsoon, these connections turn Odisha’s waters into a living laboratory of movement and adaptation. Reservoirs, tanks and irrigation canals hold many common food and introduced species but also sustain native assemblages. These species maintain waterbodies' health by cycling nutrients, controlling insects and supporting the livelihoods of inland and coastal fishers.

Several recurring threats have been documented across Odisha’s freshwater ecosystems. Habitat fragmentation and flow alteration, such as dams, barrages and water diversion, alter flow regimes and block migratory routes (critical for spawning clupeids and some carps).

Agricultural runoff, industrial and urban effluents degrade water quality in many rivers and estuaries. Then, overfishing and destructive gears such as non-selective gears, push nets and illegal practices reduce stocks, including juveniles. Invasive and introduced species can compete with or prey on native taxa.

Only 732 fishery co-operative societies currently operate in the state. The Panchayati Raj system was meant to bring resource management closer to the people. In many coastal gram panchayats, however, fisheries governance has weakened under local political pressures. Village tanks, floodplain wetlands and small river stretches are often leased for quick revenue. This leads to indiscriminate stocking of exotic species and year-round harvest, undermining native fish reproduction.

Further, many panchayats fail to enforce monsoon fishing bans or mesh-size regulations, allowing juvenile catch and breeding-ground destruction.

Additonally, fisheries, irrigation and revenue functions sit in different departments, leading to fragmented decision-making. Gram Sabhas are rarely consulted before new barrages, sand mining leases, or aquaculture ponds are approved.

Short-term incentives such as leasing fees fill local coffers, but at an ecological cost. Declining native fish stocks, silted wetlands and water quality loss are externalised to communities. The result is a gradual erosion of the very ecosystems that panchayats were meant to steward. In several coastal blocks, elders recall once-abundant native carps and catfishes now replaced.

Pathways to conservation 

Strengthening governance doesn’t require dismantling panchayats; it requires re-aligning them with ecological principles:
1. Legally empower Gram Sabhas to approve or veto leases of village tanks, river ghats and floodplain wetlands, ensuring transparent bidding and ecological safeguards.
2. Adopt ecofriendly leasing norms: Limit exotic stocking, require resting periods and incentivise native fish seed stocking through subsidies or revenue sharing.
3. Integrate departments: Link Panchayati Raj, Fisheries, and Water Resources to create joint village-level water management plans with clear fish-conservation targets.
4. Community monitoring: Train local youth and fisher cooperatives to monitor water quality, spawning grounds, and fish diversity; integrate findings into annual gram sabha reviews.
5. Incentives for conservation: Reward panchayats that maintain breeding habitats and enforce closed seasons with additional development grants. Ponds dedicated to the deity and Village ponds and tanks for common use should be barred from fish farming to make a stable breeding ecosystem for the native fish during the monsoon.
6. Revitalising river and lake ecosystems: Pollution is a major concern in Odisha rivers. The industrial, domestic and municipal waste are altering the health of our rivers. The polluted water from the prawn farms is also polluting it. Revitalisation of the rivers and lakes should be taken as one of the most prized priorities for its aquatic life, but also for the common well-being of the masses.

Odisha’s freshwater fish fauna is diverse and ecologically important, spanning common food fishes to narrowly distributed hillstream endemics. Targeted research and conservation action are needed to protect species and the livelihoods that depend on them.

Strengthening connectivity, reducing pollution, supporting community management and prioritising monitoring of endemic taxa will give Odisha the best chance to maintain its freshwater fish heritage. By using the Panchayati Raj system as it was intended — a bridge between ecological wisdom and local decision-making — villages can restore wetlands, regulate harvests, and protect endemic species. Revitalising this governance mechanism is not merely an environmental act; it is an investment in food security, cultural heritage, and the livelihoods of thousands who depend on these flowing commons.