Small indigenous fish species: A source of nutritional security through rural aquaculture development

Small indigenous fish species (SIS), native freshwater fishes that typically mature at ≤25–30 cm, are nutrient-dense, widely available in rural waterscapes, and commonly eaten whole, delivering bioavailable vitamin A, iron, zinc, calcium, vitamin B12, quality protein, and omega-3 fatty acids. Integrating SIS into carp polyculture and rice-fish systems improves both productivity and household nutrition, especially for low-income communities reliant on cereal-based diets.

A major constraint to scaling nutrition-sensitive aquaculture is the shortage of hatchery-produced SIS seed. The article reviews nutrition evidence, production opportunities, and captive-breeding prospects for priority taxa including Amblypharyngodon mola, Puntius sophore, Anabas testudineus, Osteobrama cotio, Ompok bimaculatus, Mystus gulio and M. cavasius, and highlights field efforts (e.g., WorldFish/GIZ in Odisha and Assam). It calls for targeted R&D on seed production, husbandry, and year-round supply, alongside conservation of wild stocks, to mainstream SIS as a pillar of rural food and nutrition security.