Setting a stage for the Blue Revolution, the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) has kick-started a major project for boosting the open sea cage farming in Indian waters.
CMFRI started the first phase of the project to train the fishermen in all the maritime States on open sea cage farming so as to bolster the mariculture activities in the wake of a stagnation experiencing in the capture fishery.
The project envisages providing effective training to 5,000 fishermen across the country with a financial support of nearly ₹1 crore from the National Fisheries Development Board.
According to CMFRI Director A Gopalakrishnan, the cage fish farming technology has proved 70 times more productive than the normal methods of the fish farming in ponds. Conventional pond culture of marine fishes produce an average 0.5 kg/m3 (5000 kg/ha) whereas cage farming offers a production of 35 kg/m3.
Referring to the scarcity of the fish seed required for boosting the cage fish farming, he said CMFRI has already commenced the works to establish a brood bank of high value marine fishes suitable to the cage farming with a financial support of ₹9 crore from the NFDB.
Deputy Director of Fisheries S Mahesh, who inaugurated the training programme, said the State Fisheries Department had formulated plans to extend the cage fish farming in Kerala sea waters along with the technical support of the CMFRI.
CMFRI’s mariculture division is coordinating the training programme. Imelda Joseph, head of the division said the country should turn to mariculture such as open sea cage farming to meet the growing demand for fish. It is presumed that by 2030, fish consumption in developing and developed countries is expected to increase by 57 per cent and 4 per cent respectively.
The species such as cobia, seabass, groupers, snappers, mullet, lobster and pearl spot are highly suitable for cage farming in sea waters. It is expected that the sea cage farming will get a major boost once the National Mariculture Policy is notified and comes in force in the country in near future, she added.