The Myanmar word for fish is Nga. So most of the fish name in Myanmar consists the word, Nga such as kyauk-nga (greasy grouper ~ Epinephelus touvina), Gyo~toe~nga~mann (Hammerhead shark ~ Sphyrna zygaena), Nga~pulway (Short fin lizard fish ~ Saurida micropectoaralis).

The freshwater Myanmar fish although not very well know has almost 300 species. Among these is the miniature stickleback like fish, Indostomus paradoxus, first found in Indawgyi Lake in northern Myanmar. The Inle Lake with its crystalline waters has many other kinds of fish.

Myanmar has a long coast line and the swamp along the coast act as spawning, nursery, and feeding grounds for aquatic life. It was estimated that one million tons of pelagic fish and 0.75 million tons of demersal fish exist as Myanmar fish in the marine waters.

The fishing activities are carried on in three distinct fishing zones: onshore, inshore and offshore. Fresh water fisheries consist of
• fish culture
• Leasable fisheries and
• Open fisheries.
Marine fisheries are inshore fisheries and off shore fisheries.

In the onshore area fishermen used fixed gears like traps, stake net and cast net. Fishing here depends on the ebb and flow of tide.

In the inshore area which is 5-10 miles. From the shore, fishing gear used are gill nets, drift net, shore seine, small long lines, hand lines and cast nets. To capture Hilsa fishermen use encircling gill nets. Fishing is generally done by indigenous crafts, some of which are powered by small outboard engines.

The country’s water body is made up of 8.2 million hectares. Out of this 23594.64 hectares are used for Myanmar fish aquaculture. There are three types of Inland fishery:
• Floodplain
• Leasable and
• Open fisheries
Monsoons are the best season for flood plain fishery. During seasonal changes, water catchment basins trap many Myanmar fish species.

Streams and water catchment areas have leasable fishery. This fishery is seasonal and the lease agreement is distributed to the fishing operators during such periods. Open water fishery takes place in permanent freshwater bodies like streams, rivers, and lake waters, when licenses are given to fishing operators.

Fishermen plying the waters of Ayeyarwady River have formed a partnership with the waterway’s Irrawaddy dolphins, which drive fish into the waiting nets. The small, gray, beakless Irrawaddy dolphins have a knack for herding fish into nets, explain their usefulness to fishermen. Fishermen summon the mammals to voluntarily herd schools of fish toward the boats and awaiting nets. With the dolphins’ help the fishermen can increase their hauls threefold, according to Smith; the dolphins seem to benefit by easily catching cornered fish in nets and on the muddy riverbanks. The dolphin grows to some 2 to 2.5 meters in length (6.5 to 8 feet) and frequents the coasts, estuaries, and freshwater lagoons of Southeast Asia.

threatened throughout its range by incidental catches and in several areas by habitat degradation. The Ayeyarwady river population is one of the most threatened: electrocution from illegal electric fishing and entanglement in gill nets, mercury poisoning and habitat loss from gold mining have devastated the animals. Recent surveys found that the species range had declined by some 60 percent. So to protect critically endangered Irrawaddy dolphins, decreed protection for some 70 kilometers of Myanmar’s Ayeyarwady River to safeguard a zone for cooperative fishing. The area supports one third of the river’s population of Irrawaddy dolphins, a spices threatened throughout much of its range. In addition, ban on gold mining in the Ayeyarwady has successfully eliminated that threat at least, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society. The protection decree will enforce the prohibition of electric fishing, gold mining and other threats, as well as initiate systematic monitoring for the species and raise awareness.

The world shrimp supply has increased every year and Myanmar is no exception. Seawater shrimp, most of them are wild catch, dominates the export of fish and fisheries products through normal trade. Leading shrimp suppliers in world market are Thailand, Indonesia, and china, India, Ecuador, the Philippines, Hong Kong and Denmark. But the latter two countries are mostly re-exporters.

the world market, Japan and the USA were the dominant importers, followed by Europe but for Myanmar, Japan is the top importer of Myanmar fish in value and fishery products. The next to Japan is china and Hong Kong is the third. Aquaculture technology can be classified into four broad categories;
• Traditional
• Extensive
• Semi-intensive and
• Intensive.

Essentially, the capital investment stocking density, feed and management requirements go up as the scale moves towards higher levels of technology. Myanmar adopted the semi-intensive and extensive technologies due to larger availability of suitable land.

For the development of the fisheries sector a number of institutions are involved. The ministry of livestock and fisheries is mainly responsible for the administration of the entire fisheries sector. The government has passed a number of laws and regulations relating to aquaculture and environmental protection.

Myanmar fisheries federation (MFF) is one of the highest NGOs commercial organizations to encourage and promote fishery industries. It was created by Myanmar fisheries Association. It was constituted as a member of ASEAN fisheries federation in 2002. With its technical support, it renders a great help towards the benefit of the fishery industrial as well as to those who are engaged in fisheries. The sister associations of MFF are Myanmar Shrimp Association, Myanmar Fish Farmers Association, Myanmar Shrimp Association, Myanmar fresh water capture fisheries association, Eel entrepreneurs association, Crab Entrepreneurs Association and Ornamental Fish Entrepreneurs Association.