Nepal is rich in fish diversity. The richness and uniqueness of the fresh water fishes of Nepal are due to different topographic and climatic conditions of the country within a short distance of elevation from plain Terai to high altitude mountains as well as tropical to alpine climatic conditions. Nepal is rich in natural resources and it is second richest having highly potential in term of water resources .There are more than 6000 rivers and rivulets including big and small . There are three major river systems in Nepal namely Koshi, Gandaki and Karnali which along with other rivers and scores of lakes (5358) and reservoirs are the habitat of 230 native species of fish from different climatic zones. There are 9 species of Crabs, 3 species of Prawns, 50 species of Mollusks, 53 species of Frogs, 47 species of Reptiles, 193 species of Water birds and 84 species of Aquatic plants. Water resources are abundant throughout the country in the form of snow covers, rivers and streams, lakes, marginal swamps and groundwater.

Aquaculture is one of the fastest growing agricultural subsectors in Nepal. The current total national fish production is 83,897 mt of which 25% is contributed by capture fisheries while 75% is from aquaculture. Fisheries sector contributes about 4.29% in Agricultural Gross Domestic Production and 1.34% in Gross Domestic Production. History of Nepalese aquaculture is very short however catching fish from nature is being practiced since ancient time. In Nepal aquaculture development was institutionalized in 2003 BS by establishing fisheries unit under Agriculture Council. This fisheries unit faced several phases of organizational modification time to time passing through the golden era of fisheries, in terms of organizational strength, when department of fisheries was established.

Central Fisheries Promotion and Conservation Center is one of the twelve technical directorates of Department of Agriculture mandated for aquaculture sector. This directorate is supported by two national level technical wings namely National Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture Development Program and Central Fisheries Lab. Under this directorate there are nine farms/centers at different agro-ecological zones. The directorate serves as an aquaculture sector focal point for national and international level institutes of related fields. Central Fisheries Promotion and Conservation Center is the central technical body responsible for the overall development of aquaculture sector in the country.