Shimla, Mar 23 (IANS): Fish import will be partially banned in Himachal Pradesh from the next fiscal, state Fisheries Minister Virendra Kanwar said on Wednesday.

He said the fish import permits would be issued only in favour of registered contractors by the department.

Keeping in view the interests of the fishermen and to ensure the security of their employment, the fish import is being partially banned in all the districts.

Kanwar said about 10,000 families in the state are involved in the fishery business. Fishing is being done in cold water, riverine areas, ponds and reservoirs of the state.

About 5,500 oustee families are directly connected with fishing business with the Maharana Pratap Pong Dam and the Gobind Sagar Reservoir, the main reservoirs of the state.

Despite the availability of good species of fish in the state, good prices of fish are not being found in the market, mainly due to the regular import of fish in large quantities in the state, he added.