Our Fisheries Project, in partnership with the IFC and APPL, aimed to convert existing ponds within tea gardens into productive fisheries. The central question was how APPL could effectively promote pond fisheries across the Northeast tea garden belt. A key challenge was the high mortality rate of fish breeds introduced by technical experts from other parts of the country. These fish typically died within 10-15 months, and the cause remained unknown.

We took a different approach by studying the local value chain. Recognizing the wealth of traditional knowledge in a nearby community where nearly every household had fish ponds, we conducted a survey and engaged three local experts. These experts accompanied us to the tea gardens to investigate the problem. We discovered that the introduced breeds were unsuitable for the local conditions; only local breeds thrived. 

Furthermore, we determined that APPL’s focus should not be on fish production, but rather on the fishling and fingerling business. This involved raising fish eggs to the fishling stage, and then to fingerlings, which could then be transplanted to ponds and supplied to a wide region, extending beyond Assam. Based on these findings, we developed and presented APPL with a comprehensive business plan focused on this specialized area of the fish value chain. This constituted the core deliverable of the project.