This study is undertaken, to gain some insight into the status of inland fisheries in India, and highlight some of the research lacunae in this sector, in the hope that the path to implementing the SSF Guidelines in this sector may become a bit clearer. Given the limitations of resource, the states of Bihar and West Bengal were chosen. These states are important in terms of fish production and fisher population in the inland sector. The varied types of water bodies and governance systems in these states were also a consideration.