Northeast Accounts for 82% of India''s Ornamental Fish Export.

Shillong, (PTI) The Northeast, a global hotspot of fresh water biodiversity, accounts for 82 per cent of the total ''ornamental'' fishes exported by India, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) today said.

Informing this, ICAR Director (Northeastern hill region) S V Ngachan stressed on introduction of better technology for the benefit of fish farmers at a function here.

"Ornamental fish production has a great future in the region, which has plenty of water resources. It is a multi-million dollar industry," observed Madan Mohan Assistant Director General of the ICAR, New Delhi.

According to scientists, so far, 267 fish species belonging to 114 genera under 38 families and 10 orders have been reported in the region.

Among the states of the region, Assam has the largest number of fish species (217) followed by Arunachal Pradesh (167), Meghalaya (165), Tripura (134), Manipur (121), Nagaland (68), Mizoram (48) and Sikkim (29).

"What makes the fish fauna of the North-east more important from the economic point of view is that as many as 31 species are reported to be endemic to the region," ICAR officials said.

Since the region can claim exclusive patenting rights over its endemic fish species, top priority should be given to conserve them, they said.

Source : news.in.msn.com