The Himalayas are a colossal, uneven, and resource rich region with abundant flora and fauna, extending for over 2,500 km. The abundant aquatic resources of Jammu and Kashmir harbour a wide variety of indigenous and exotic fish species make it one of the promising areas for coldwater and hill stream fisheries.

The fish fauna of Kashmir Valley is mainly represented by the families Cyprinidae, Cobitidae, Silurideae, Poecilideae, Sisorideae and Salmonideae. Though the fisheries sector in Kashmir valley has huge potential and could contribute significantly to the GDP of the valley, it is yet to gain momentum.

The current fish production from Jammu and Kashmir is 20,700 metric tonnes. The volume of fish production over the last decade has varied between 19,000 to 20,000 metric tonnes. The fisheries sector contributes a total revenue of Rs. 56,012,000 in Jammu and Kashmir.

This article describes the fish fauna of the lakes of Jammu and Kashmir, and some of the indigenous fishing gears commonly used by people living in the area.