A breakthrough in aquaculture

[Hindustani78]

Updated: July 11, 2015 07:52 IST
A breakthrough in aquaculture - The Hindu

Scientists at the Chennai-based Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture have achieved success in breeding milkfish in captivity after 10 long years of research.
For the first time in the country, efforts to breed in captivity milkfish (Chanos Chanos), known as Pal Kendai in Tamil, met with success by the Chennai-based Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture (CIBA) at its Experimental Research Station in Muttakadu.

“It is a major breakthrough in the history of aquaculture in the country. It has taken almost 10 years to achieve it. This fish is the best candidate for sustainable farming and it cohabits with shrimps and mullets,” said. K.K. Vijayan, director of the CIBA.

A team led by principal scientist M. Kailasam achieved the breakthrough by implanting hormones in the fish. “Instead of injecting hormones, we have implanted hormones and it would be released in a sustainable manner,” Mr Vijayan explained.

Mr. Kailasam said broodstocks at the CIBA were eight years old and a matured fish weighing one kilogram would lay one million eggs. “While it is difficult to breed the fish in captivity, it will continue to breed after the first instance. The survival of juveniles is also good as they do not indulge in cannibalism like Sea Bass,” he said.

Though the fish lives in backwaters, it migrates to the sea for breeding, as suitable saline conditions are vital for the process. Normally, the seeds of milkfish are collected from wild and in the last year alone Andhra Pradesh produced 1,000 tonnes of milkfish. But in the wild it would be available only three months in a year.

The advantage with milkfish is that being a vegetarian (herbivore) it requires only low protein feed and it substantially reduces the production cost. But the one thorny issue is that the fish has a lot of bones. Countries like Taiwan and Indonesia, known for mass production of milkfish, developed a special mechanism for removing the bones.

“It is like the Hilsa, popular in Bengal. As Tamil Nadu is witnessing migration of workers from the North-East and Hilsa-eating States, milkfish farming is commercially viable,” Mr. Vijayan said.

M. Sakthivel, president of the Aquaculture Foundation of India, said milkfish was an answer to malnutrition in the country. “The government should come forward to rear the fish in all ponds and tanks in every panchayat in the country. It can fulfil the need for protein requirement at a very cheap rate,” he said.

Former Principal Scientist of CIBA, A.R. Thirunavukkarasu said as milkfish could be used as a bait for tuna lining, it could earn foreign exchange through exports.

 

[Rockets]

Yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh way to go. i think someone is playing with us.
Is it just me or everyone feels that many scientific and reasearch programs started in this month or many research programmes have had success in this month.

 

[Hindustani78]

Yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh way to go. i think someone is playing with us.
Is it just me or everyone feels that many scientific and reasearch programs started in this month or many research programmes have had success in this month.

“It is a major breakthrough in the history of aquaculture in the country. It has taken almost 10 years to achieve it. This fish is the best candidate for sustainable farming and it cohabits with shrimps and mullets,” said. K.K. Vijayan, director of the CIBA.

 

[Rockets]

“It is a major breakthrough in the history of aquaculture in the country. It has taken almost 10 years to achieve it. This fish is the best candidate for sustainable farming and it cohabits with shrimps and mullets,” said. K.K. Vijayan, director of the CIBA.

Thanks bro

 

[Hindustani78]

Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture (ICAR-CIBA) established in April 1987 and this is from the annul report of 2014-2015

 

[Hindustani78]

Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries Pocharam Srinivas Reddy and Minister for Finance and Civil Supplies Etala Rajender releasing cage-based fish seedlings in LMD reservoir in Karimnagar district on Sunday. -Photo: Thakur Ajaypal Singh

‘Cage-based fish culture more profitable’ - The Hindu
Govt. plans to release fish seedlings in all irrigation tanks and reservoirs, say Ministers
Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries Pocharam Srinivas Reddy along with Minister for Finance and Civil Supplies Etala Rajender had released cage-based fish culture in the Lower Manair Dam (LMD) reservoir on the outskirts of Karimnagar on Sunday.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Srinivas Reddy said that the cage-based fish culture was more profitable and would increase the fish production benefitting the fishermen.

He said that he had personally visited the Jharkhand State to study the cage-culture fish and introduced the same in Telangana.

Stating that there were around 40 lakh fishermen depending on the fish trade, he said that the government was taking all steps to provide fish seedlings for growing in all irrigation tanks and reservoirs.

He said that they would set up a wholesale fish market in Karimnagar at a cost of Rs. 2 crore.

He also promised to open fish markets at a cost of Rs. 15 lakh in each mandals and in the major gram panchayats at a cost of Rs. 7.5 lakh each if the authorities provide land.

Minister for Finance Etala Rajender said that the State government had provided Rs. 5 lakh insurance coverage to the fishermen.

Stressing on the need for the removal of middlemen for the benefit of fishermen, he said that they would also provide loans on subsidy for the fish rearing.

ZP chairperson Tula Uma, Karimnagar MP B. Vinod Kumar, legislator Gangula Kamalakar, Manakondur legislator Rasamayi Balakishan, Fisheries Principal Secretary S.P. Singh, Collector Neetu Prasad and others were also present.

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Organisers of the ‘cage culture’ project at Palair Reservoir staging a demonstration run before the formal launch of the cage culture unit in Khammam.- PHOTO: G. N. RAO

Fishermen told to adopt scientific techniques to boost income - The Hindu


Fishermen should adopt scientific fish farming techniques to augment their income and tread the path of financial self-reliance, said Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries, Pocharam Srinivas Reddy.

The cage culture technique of fish farming holds enormous potential to provide sustainable livelihood for fishermen. The cage culture method, which proved successful in Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, is being introduced in select reservoirs in Telangana in the first phase, he said.

He was speaking after inaugurating a cage culture unit set up by the Fisheries Department in the Palair balancing reservoir in Kusumanchi mandal.

The gross negligence of the agriculture and allied sectors under erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh severely hit traditional livelihoods of lakhs of poor people in Telangana, he deplored, reiterating that the Telangana government was committed to invigorating agriculture, horticulture, fisheries, dairy and other allied sectors.

There are around 46,000 tanks and over 70 small and medium irrigation projects in the State.

Around 40 lakh people in the State are dependent on fishing for their livelihood, he noted, underlining the need for harnessing water resources for fisheries development.

The government has made adequate budgetary allocations to raise fish seed production and give a fillip to the fisheries sector.

An amount of Rs. 9 lakh will be released for the construction of a community hall for the benefit of the members of the fishermen cooperative societies at Palair.

Around 29 veterinary hospitals will be set up in the first phase in the State soon, he said.

Minister for Roads and Buildings T. Nageswara Rao, Khammam MP P. Srinivas Reddy, Palair MLA R. Venkat Reddy and others spoke.

Earlier, a section of local fishermen of the mandal sought concrete steps to eliminate the “menace” of middlemen for enabling them to avail government schemes and secure a sustainable income.

Some of them wanted proper access to the new cage culture demonstration unit in order to familiarise themselves with the scientific method.

The ministers disbursed ex gratia to bereaved family members of ten fishermen who died in separate accidents in the district in the last year.

 

[GreenApple]

Indian farmers needs to adopt to things more than 'farming' cereals. Aquaculture, and other X-culture can take care of many of their present miseries.