60 December 2011 ing for the farmer. Fish also serve as an excellent agent for integrated pest and weed management. Fish culture in paddy fields gives increased soil productivity and boosts the production of paddies by reduction in the cost of fish production. The recycling of nutrients by the fish through feeding and depositing faeces in the soil increases the uptake of nutrients, such as phosphorus and nitrogen by the rice. It increases rice yields and income from the production of both rice and fish while reducing the use of fertilizers. It can also act as a reliable source of protein for farmers and their families, countering the decrease in available wild fish in many countries. Constraints in Rice-Fish Culture Though the paddy cum fish culture has so many benefits to the farmer, it also has its drawbacks. It requires a large amount of labor, risky during natural and artificial calamities such as flooding, drought, poaching, and poisoning. Generally, the farmers in the North-Eastern states are not concerned with the long-term environmental benefits and mainly focus on the short-term because they are tenants and not landowners. Traditionally, these people would catch whatever aquatic organisms they could find in rice fields. Since ricefish culture, farmers now protect their investment against intrusion so that cultured fish can be sold, this free source of protein is no longer available. Fish and Rice Harvest It is usually necessary to keep the field dry for a week before the harvest of the paddy so that the paddy seeds will mature well and dry. It is best to harvest the fish after 5-6 months of stocking in the case of concurrent/ seasonal culture system; but in the case of continuous culture harvesting is done on yearly basis only. The water can be drained out and fishes made to collect in the sumps or refuges and netted out. If the same fish are to be restocked they have to be removed to a nearby temporary tank or pond and retained until restocking. Scope of Paddy cum Fish Culture in NE Region of India There is an excellent future for rice fish farming in the region. Studies conducted in Assam have indicated that rice-fish culture is a viable, environmentally friendly, low-cost, lowrisk additional economic activity with multiple benefits including increased income and greater availability of fish to the rural farming community (Goswami et al. 2004). A modest utilization of 10 percent (0.26 million ha) of the area available in Assam could produce 0.13 million t/ season. Production varies from 2,100 to 2,300 kg of rice/ ha and from 400 to 450 kg/ ha of fish in Assam (Baruah et al. 1999). Greater benefits from rice-fish culture have been derived through collective management instead of individually managed small installations. Baruah et al. (2000) also evaluated the prospects for fish farming in rice fields in Assam, identifying potential production of 501.1 kg/ ha in four months with an increase in rice production of 17.65 percent, with 10-20 percent of the plot utilized for dykes, refuge ponds and ditches. The NE region of India is recognized as the most suitable zone for organic farming due to its negligible usage of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and other chemicals. This present scenario presents an excellent opportunity to utilize vast tracts of rice fields to culture a variety of fishes to augment fish production in the region. Munilkumar and Nandeesha (2007) stressed for the detailed study of rice fish culture practiced by the Apatani tribes in Arunachal Pradesh, India in depth to adapt these culture techniques to other areas for sustainable fish production. 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