Until now, microbiological studies on cultured freshwater fish appear to be limited especially in India. Hence, a study was done to identify the bacterial populations and pathogens in pond water and in some tissues of cultured carps Catla catla, Labeo rohita, Cirrhinus mrigala and Cyprinus carpio polycultured in a freshwater pond (Koppu temple pond) to evaluate the public health aspects associated with the consumption of these fishes. Among the various organs analyzed, the maximum bacterial load was found in skin followed by gills and intestine for all the fishes. The enteric bacteria isolated from the freshly caught fish were found to belong to 10 genera involving a total of 13 species. The bacterial species isolated from water also belonged to the same 10 genera involving a total of 14 species. In general, the bacteria isolated from fish samples appeared to be very similar to those obtained from water. Among the various bacteria present in the fishes, E. coli and P. aeruginosa contributed the most (L. rohita - 55.5%; C. carpio - 52.06%; C. mrigala - 40.18% and C. catla - 38.0%) with the values ranging from 38% (Catla) to 55.50 % (Rohu). In the water also, the most dominant bacterial species was again E. coli and P. aeruginosa. Thus, there appears to be a close correlation between the bacteria present in water and in organs of fishes with E. coli dominating followed by P. aeruginosa in all the four types of fishes. The presence of a large number of enteric bacteria including pathogenic species in the pond suggests the need for following strict hygienic methods during the process of handling and processing of fish in these systems. Besides, it also highlights the need for proper method before consumption of these fishes to prevent humans from getting diseases.