Government Contacts & Information resources for Commercial Fishing, Seafood, Aquaculture, Marine & Oceans in Afghanistan

Fishery and Aquaculture Country Profile for Afghanistan  - aquatic species caught by country or area, by species items, by FAO major fishing areas, and year, for all commercial, industrial, recreational and subsistence purposes. The harvest from mariculture, aquaculture and other kinds of fish farming is also included.

Fishing in Afghanistan
The nation has plenty of water reserves and suitable climate for fish farming.

Fishing takes place in the lakes and rivers, such as in Sarobi and Mahipar area.

Fish constitute a smaller part of the Afghan diet today because fish farmers are unable to produce enough fish to keep up with the demands of customers.

Using explosives for fishing, called dynamite fishing, became popular in the 1980s and is still practiced by some even though it is illegal today. The annual catch was about 900 tons in 2003.

Most fish and seafood is imported from neighbouring Pakistan, Iran, the United Arab Emiratesand other countries.

In recent years, USAID has helped many Afghans in establishing fish farms across the country. There are about 300 fish farms throughout the country and the largest one is at the Qargha, which supplies fish eggs to the other ones

Freshwater fish found in Afghanistan:

Species	Status	Common name
Abramis brama	native	Common bream
Abramis sapa	native	White-eye bream
Acipenser nudiventris	extirpated	Fringebarbel sturgeon
Alburnoides bipunctatus	native	Spirlin
Alburnoides taeniatus	native	Striped bystranka
Alburnus chalcoides	native	Danube bleak
Amblypharyngodon mola	native	Mola carplet
Aristichthys nobilis	introduced	Bighead carp
Aspidoparia jaya	native	Jaya
Aspidoparia morar	native
Aspiolucius esocinus	native	Pike asp
Aspius aspius	native	Asp
Ballerus ballerus	introduced	Zope
Bangana diplostoma	native
Barbus brachycephalus brachycephalus	native	Aral barbel
Barbus capito capito	native	Bulatmai barbel
Barilius vagra	native
Capoeta capoeta capoeta	native	Transcaucasian barb
Capoeta fusca	native
Capoetobrama kuschakewitschi kuschakewitschi	native	Sharpray
Carassius auratus auratus	introduced	Goldfish
Channa gachua	native
Channa orientalis	native	Walking snakehead
Channa punctata	native	Spotted snakehead
Clupisoma naziri	native
Crossocheilus diplochilus	native
Crossocheilus latius	native
Ctenopharyngodon idella	introduced	Grass carp
Cyprinion microphthalmum microphthalmum	native
Cyprinion milesi	native
Cyprinion watsoni	native
Cyprinus carpio carpio	introduced	Common carp
Devario devario	native	Sind danio
Dzihunia amudarjensis	native	Bukhara stone loach
Esomus danricus	native	Flying barb
Gambusia affinis	introduced	Mosquitofish
Gambusia holbrooki	introduced	Eastern mosquitofish
Garra gotyla gotyla	native	Sucker head
Garra rossica	native
Garra rufa	native
Glyptosternon akhtari	native
Glyptosternon reticulatum	native	Turkestan catfish
Glyptothorax cavia	native
Glyptothorax jalalensis	native
Gobio gobio gobio	native	Gudgeon
Gymnocephalus cernuus	native	Ruffe
Hemiculter leucisculus	introduced	Sharpbelly
Hemigrammocapoeta elegans	native
Hypophthalmichthys molitrix	introduced	Silver carp
Labeo angra	native
Labeo ariza	native	Reba
Labeo dyocheilus	native
Labeo gonius	native	Kuria labeo
Labeo pangusia	native
Leuciscus idus	native	Ide
Leuciscus latus	native
Leuciscus lehmanni	native	Zeravshan dace
Leuciscus leuciscus	native	Common dace
Mystus tengara	native
Nemacheilus baluchiorum	native
Nemacheilus kuschakewitschi	native	Kuschakewitsch loach
Nemacheilus longicaudus	native	Eastern crested loach
Nemacheilus oxianus	native	Amu-Darya stone loach
Ompok bimaculatus	native	Butter catfish
Ompok canio	native
Ompok pabda	native	Pabdah catfish
Oncorhynchus mykiss	introduced	Rainbow trout
Oryzias latipes	introduced	Japanese rice fish
Paracobitis boutanensis	native
Paracobitis ghazniensis	native
Paracobitis malapterura	native	Western crested loach
Paracobitis rhadinaeus	native
Pelecus cultratus	native	Ziege
Perca fluviatilis	native	European perch
Pseudorasbora parva	introduced	Stone moroko
Pseudoscaphirhynchus hermanni	native	Dwarf sturgeon
Pseudoscaphirhynchus kaufmanni	native	Amu Darya sturgeon
Pterocryptis afghana	native
Ptychobarbus conirostris	questionable	Indus snowtrout
Pungitius platygaster	native	Southern ninespine stickleback
Puntius conchonius	native	Rosy barb
Puntius sarana	native	Olive barb
Puntius sophore	native	Pool barb
Rhinogobius similis	introduced
Rhodeus sinensis	introduced
Rita macracanthus	native
Rita rita	native	Rita
Rutilus rutilus	native	Roach
Sabanejewia aurata aurata	native	Goldside loach
Salmo trutta trutta	native	Sea trout
Salmostoma bacaila	native	Large razorbelly minnow
Sander lucioperca	native	Pike-perch
Scardinius erythrophthalmus	native	Rudd
Schistura alepidota	native
Schistura alta	native
Schistura corica	native
Schistura cristata	native	Turkmenian crested loach
Schistura kessleri	native	Kessler's loach
Schistura lindbergi	native
Schistura prashari	questionable
Schistura sargadensis	native	Turkmenian loach
Schizocypris brucei	native	Waziristan snowtrout
Schizocypris ladigesi	native
Schizopyge curvifrons	native	Sattar snowtrout
Schizopyge esocinus	native	Chirruh snowtrout
Schizopygopsis stoliczkai	native	False osman
Schizothorax edeniana	native
Schizothorax intermedius intermedius	native	Common marinka
Schizothorax labiatus	native	Kunar snowtrout
Schizothorax microcephalus	native
Schizothorax pelzami	native	Transcaspian marinka
Schizothorax plagiostomus	native
Schizothorax richardsonii	native	Snow trout
Schizothorax zarudnyi	native
Silurus glanis	native	Wels catfish
Sinilabeo dero	native	Kalabans
Sperata sarwari	native
Sperata seenghala	native	Giant river-catfish
Tor putitora	native	Golden mahseer
Triplophysa brahui	native
Triplophysa choprai	native
Triplophysa dorsalis	native	Gray loach
Triplophysa farwelli	native
Triplophysa griffithi	native
Triplophysa kullmanni	native
Triplophysa stenura	native
Triplophysa stoliczkai	native	Tibetan stone loach
Triplophysa tenuis	native
Wallago attu	native	Wallago