Fish catch to dwindle this season

C Shivakumar

Chennai:

The fish catch this season is expected to dwindle following the cyclonic weather conditions in the coastal areas, according to an expert.

Principal scientist and head of division Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture A R T Arasu told Express on the sidelines of the national conference on Chennai Aquaculture Technology Meet that current pattern in the sea will affect the fish catch this season.

To a query on the depletion fish wealth in the coastal areas of the state, he blamed it on the crafts and gear being used to catch fish. He said the catch per unit has diminished and fisherman who usually nets 50 kg of fish a day has now to be happy with only 25 kg a day.

The scientist said that state government is providing subsidies to fishermen to carry on seaweed farming in the areas where there is depletion in the catch. Right now more than 10,000 families are associated with it along the coastal areas in Rameshwaram and nearby areas. Efforts are also on to help fishermen shift their focus on crabs and farmers including the self help groups are involved in it.

Arasu also said that there has been a slight change in the species found in the Tamil Nadu coast due to climate change. “New species of fish have arrived. Earlier we hardly find sardines and mackerels. But then we have also lost quality fishes like perches whose numbers have dwindled,” Arasu said.

Meanwhile, S Felix, professor and convenor of the forum said that while India is a large producer of inland fish, ranking next to China in the global production of freshwater inland fish, it has failed to tap the abundant resources. “India has still not been able to tap even 30 per cent of the potential area for inland fish production,” he added.

Dr A S Ninawe, advisor to the department of biotechnology rued the fact that India which is blessed with a coastline of 800 km with rich biodiversity of flora and fauna is not able to exploit the resources. “There are technological gaps and lack of approach in perfection and adoption of suitable aquaculture technology packages for the sector,” he said.

“In shrimp culture, we are struggling with a major disease threat which needs to be addressed seriously. Presently, the available treatment measures are inadequate due to unknown nature of pathogens,” he added.

 He said the forum will focus on Raceway Technology for biosecured shrimp farming and sharing of east west experience in Vannamei farming, which is newly introduced in India a few years ago. He said the department of biotechnology has supported a programme for development of prototyping raceway based third generation shrimp production technology at the Fisheries Institue in Thoothkudi. “This prototype has biological filteration system and water re-circulation to sustain the beneficial microbial population for cultivating shrimp larvae with high survival rate upto 80 per cent with high stocking density,” he added.

Others who spoke on the occasion include Dr V Purushothaman, director of Animal Health Studies, Dr A G Ponniah, director of Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture, Arthur Yeo, director of Singapore Bio Trade, Dr V K Venkataramani, director of research and extension, Fisheries, Thoothkudi and Dr R Prabakaran, vice-chancellor of TANUVAS.