Bhubaneswar, May 28: The production of fish and other edible aquatic creatures in Chilika is falling with three of the most coveted species facing threat of disappearance.

Overfishing in the last few years has led to the depletion in stock of the three species — black tiger prawn, mud crab and sea bass. These are worrying signs as soon there might not be enough fish to create offsprings and replenish the stock.

Chairman of Marine Products Exports Development Authority (MPEDA) Leena Nair said: “The issue will be looked into. Chilika fish has a premium value. Some unscrupulous elements cheat buyers by passing off fishes of other varieties as Chilika products. There are plans to genetically test fish to ensure that they are genuine Chilika products.”

Nair was here last week to lay the foundation stone for a pre-processing centre for marine products. Calling Odisha a sleeping giant, she said: “Marine exports from the state have been stagnating for the past two years. A large chunk of it used to come in the form of shrimps. Exports from the state can be enhanced by encouraging aquaculture for which the MPEDA is ready to provide technical know-how.”

In 2010-11, the total fish landing in the lake was 7736.54 metric tonnes (MT) as against 7892.97 MT during the 2009-10 season, which is a fall of 1.98 per cent.

Despite having a coastline of 480km, the state’s overall fish production, including marine, fresh water and brackish water fishes, has been hovering around 3.80 lakh MT, which is not a very encouraging figure.

“Odisha can surpass other states in terms of fish production. It stands seventh compared to other states, including Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, in terms of overall fish production,” said Nair.

She assured that help would be provided to the Odisha government to increase fish production.

“The state government should ensure that the notification on land-lease policy is translated into reality. Collectors should identify land, allot it to people and hold regular meetings to ensure that proper cultivation of fish takes place,” she said.

Nair also expressed her displeasure because not a single application for Tuna fishing had come from the state.

“We are providing a number of incentives to people for this kind of fishing. The state government should create awareness among the people about it,” she said.