Question

Essay on Aquaculture(500 Words)

Answer 1

Aquaculture refers to the farming of aquatic animals and plants, such as fish, shrimp, molluscs and sea weeds in water. It can be classified under two major heads—freshwater and coastal.

The latter can again be subdivided into two categories, namely, sea farming (mariculture) and brackish water aquaculture.

Seafarming refers to culture of organisms in cages, pens, rafts and long-lines in the open coastal waters and bays, whereas brackish water aquaculture relates to land-based farming systems using salt water from the estuaries and creeks as also from the sea in coastal areas. Coastal aquaculture uses many common species of fish, shrimps and molluscs.

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Although India has moved ahead on several fronts in the development of techniques for seafaring of organisms with high production potential, commercial scale operations are yet to take off. On the other hand, freshwater and brackish water aquaculture is making substantial progress.

The main requirements of aquaculture are seed, feed and water quality.

Water quality management includes all physical, chemical and biological factors, and these influence survival, growth, health and production offish in the ponds. Water quality is environment related and inputs such as liming for sanitation and correction of hydrogen ion concentration, fertilisation stocking and feeding interact with the pond environment. Indian coastal areas have varied agro-climatic conditions and pond management needs to take all factors into consideration.

The inland saline and alluvial soils which are rendered unfit for agriculture can be effectively used for culture of marine fishes and prawns.

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With a view to providing a greater boost to aquaculture research and development, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research in New Delhi reorganised the fisheries research institutes in 1987, which led to the establishment of three separate institutes namely: the Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture (CIFA) at Bhubaneswar; the Central Institute of Brackish-water Aquaculture (CIBA) at Chennai and the National Research Centre of Coldwater Fisheries (NRCCWF) at Bhimtal in Nainital. The Pond Culture Division of CIFRI later integrated into CIFA which has been instrumental in the development of several technologies used in freshwater aquaculture and with their dissemination through a number of first line extension projects.

Brackishwater farming in India is an age-old system which was confined mainly to the bheries (mahmade impoundments in coastal wetlands) of West Bengal and pokkali (salt resistant deep-water paddy) fields along the Kerala coast. With no additional input, except that of trapping the naturally bred juvenile fish and shrimp seed, these systems have been sustaining high production levels. The importance of brackish-water aquaculture was recognised only after the initiation of an All India Coordinated Research Project, (AICRP) on ‘Brackish-water Fish Farming by ICAR in 1973. The project developed several technologies pertaining to fish and shrimp farming.