Pisciculture on lines of farming for profit

Rajahmundry: Fisheries authorities are taking up two model programmes called ‘Chandranna Raithu Kshetralu’ and ‘Organic Farming’ to culture fish, shrimps, crabs and other species similar on the lines of agriculture, to help enhance their production and enable farmers to earn good income in West Godavari. As a part of ‘Chandranna Raithu Kshetralu’ scheme, the authorities are encouraging farmers to take up aquaculture with pond automation as it helps boost up fish production with less impact on environment. “Under pond automation, electric equipment fitted with censors will be monitoring the potential of Hydrogen (pH), dissolved oxygen and salinity in the water in the pond. The equipment is designed in such a way that it records readings for every three hours and sends them to the farm owner on his mobile phone,” a fisheries official said. 

Officials said that this helps the farmer keep a tab on these vital parameters in the pond water and in case the there is a change in levels; the farmer will swing into action and initiate necessary steps to maintain the requisite levels in the water. As a select farmer is using pro-biotics for water quality, cattle manure and also using lime, the authorities have advised the farmer to use air blowers to mitigate any issue with dissolved oxygen in pond water.

On the other hand, in crab culture, officials advised farmers to use best management practices like crab fencing and bird fencing as safety measures. The authorities have advised the select farmer to use cured salt and dried fish as feed to avoid its early spoilage after crab feeds on it. The authorities encourage farmers to culture alternate fish species in ponds where white-spot disease affected the fish culture. The alternate species is sea bass fish and the authorities have advised farmers to feed such fish with trash fish, as live fish feed is expensive. West Godavari fisheries joint director Dr S. Anjali said, “We are taking up two model programmes of fish, shrimps to enhance production.”

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