The Fisheries, Aquaculture, Aquatic Resources and Fishing Harbour Department of the Government of the then Bengal was first set up in the year 1911. Thereafter, on the recommendation of the Bengal Retrenchment Committee, the Department was abolished in the year 1923. The Department was again revived in the year 1942 since it was felt necessary to cope up with the growing needs for increase in production of fish by way of exploiting all the available impounded water resources in the then undivided Bengal primarily for two reasons: 

1. Love of fish in the diet for every Bengali family 
2. Increase in population

After the revival of the Department in the year 1942, it has been functioning continuously. The scope of activities of the Department had been expanding gradually and since the beginning of the first Five Year Plan, an increasing number of schemes are being taken up for development of Pisciculture in West Bengal with the aim of not only attaining self-sufficiency with regard to the production of fish in the State but also for exploring the possibilities for requirement of fish and fish products across the country and abroad. Because of the involvement of the Department in multi-directional fishery related activities, it has been renamed as the Department of Fisheries, Aquaculture, Aquatic Resources and Fishing Harbour, Aquaculture, Aquatic Resources and Fishing Harbours (hereinafter referred to as the Department) in May 2001. The Department through its wings, viz., Directorate of Fisheries, Aquaculture, Aquatic Resources and Fishing Harbour, State Fisheries, Aquaculture, Aquatic Resources and Fishing Harbour Development Corporation, West Bengal Fisheries, Aquaculture, Aquatic Resources and Fishing Harbour Corporation Ltd., and BENFISH is continuously striving towards enhancing fish production ensuring nutritional security, ensuring welfare of the fishermen community, creating infrastructural facilities in the fishing villages along with development of marketing linkages and value addition. All these concerted efforts aim to enhance employment opportunities and livelihood generation in Rural Bengal.