from the chief executive - nfdbnfdb.gov.in/pdf/matsya bharat/matsya bharat june...5 volume 8, issue...

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Page No.

From the Chief Executive 5

1. North and Northeast 7

2. Farmers’ Note Book 13

3. New/Innovative Technologies in Fisheries 22

4. NFDB Initiatives 23

5. Important Events 46

6. NFDB Field Notes 56

7. Fishers & Farmers News 64

8. Fisheries & Aquaculture Industry News 67

9. NFDB News 69

10. NFDB in the Media 73

11. Announcements 74

Feb 02 World Wetlands Day

March 22 World Water Day

March 23 World Meteorology Day

April 05 National Maritime Day

April 16 World Entrepreneurship Day

April 22 International Mother Earth Day

May 22 International Day for BiologicalDiversity

May 23 World Turtle Day

May 24 World Fish Migration Day

June 05 World Environment Day

June 08 World Oceans Day

July First International Day of Cooperatives

Saturday

July 10 National Fish Farmers’ Day

NFDB Formation Day

July 11 World Population Day

Sept 16 International Day for Preservationof Ozone Layer

Sept 18 World Water Monitoring Day

Sept 26 World Hunting & Fishing Day

Oct First World Habitat DayMonday

Oct 16 World Food Day

Nov 21 World Fisheries Day

Dec 03 World Conservation Day

Dec 05 World Soil Day

Dec 14 World Energy Day

In this Issue

Chief Editor & Publisher:Shri K.N. Kumar, IASChief ExecutiveNational Fisheries Development Board

Hyderabad – 500 052.

Associate Editor:

Dr. K. Ravindranath, Sr. Consultant (Tech)

[Mail to: [email protected]]

Days to Remember

Seasonal Fishing Ban/ Closed Season (60 days)

East Coast of India 15 April to 14 June

West Coast of India 01 June to 31 July

Volume 8, Issue 2 and 3 June - September 2016

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Sl.No. Item P.No.

-- From the Chief Executive: Cage Culture – the future of Fisheries 51.1 Union Minister for Agriculture Reviews Fisheries Development in Mizoram 71.2 Minister for Fisheries, Govt. of Assam, interacts with State Fisheries and NFDB Officials 71.3 Land allotment to NFDB for North East Regional Centre at Guwahati, reviewed by Minister, Govt. of Assam 71.4 NFDB funded Rearing Ponds constructed in Beels of Assam inspected 81.5 NFDB sponsored Matsya Mahotsov & National Fish Farmers Day organized at Directorate of Fisheries, 9

Guwahati, Assam1.6 Workshop on ‘Culture of Lesser Known Fish Species of Commercial Importance in North East India’ held 9

at NFDB, Guwahati, Assam1.7 NFDB sponsored Workshop on ‘Promotion of Ornamental Fishes in the North Eastern Region of India’ held 11

at Guwahati University1.8 NFDB funded Hygienic Fish Market under construction at Tezpur, Assam, inspected 121.9 NFDB funded Reservoir Fish Seed Stocking undertaken in Manipur 121.10 NFDB sponsored Interactive Workshop on ‘Aquatic Animal Diseases of Assam’ held at Guwahati 122.1 Economically Very Important Marine Fish with Wide Salinity Tolerance 132.2 Traditional Fisherman of Tamuria village, Madhubani district, Bihar, becomes an Aquaculture Entrepreneur – 17

A Success Story3.1 ‘Fishlizer’ – Organic Fertilizer from Fish Waste 224.1 NFDB funded Projects on Ornamental Fisheries reviewed at NFDB, Hyderabad 234.2 Workshop to finalize Fishery Project Proposals from KVKs for NFDB Funding organized at ICAR-ATARI, 24

Kolkata4.3 Review Meeting on Promising Fishery Technology organized by ICAR-ATARI Jabalpur, at CIFE Kolkata 25

Centre, Kolkata4.4 National Orientation Workshop for the Fisheries SMS organized by NFDB at NAARM, Hyderabad 264.5 Governance Workshop for the NGOs Working with Traditional Fishermen organized by NFDB at NIRD&PR, 27

Hyderabad4.6 Refresher Training Programme for Middle Level Fisheries Extension Functionaries on “New Dimensions in 28

Extension Management” conducted at MANAGE4.7 NFDB develops Module on ‘Role of Fisheries in Rural Development’ for Students of PGDRDM Course of 29

NIRD&PR, Hyderabad4.8 NFDB conducts Training Programme on Formulation & Analysis of Fisheries Projects 304.9 Interactive meeting with Agencies undertaking Monitoring and Evaluation Studies held at NFDB 304.10 NFDB to partner with NETFISH to train Traditional Marine Fisherfolk 314.11 National Level Committee Meets to Develop Guidelines for Cage Culture in Inland Water Bodies 324.12 NFDB constituted Technical Experts Committee Screens Technology Upgradation Project Proposals 334.13 National Consultation on Artificial Reefs organized at NFDB, Hyderabad 334.14 Writeshop on ‘Best Management Practices for Freshwater Ornamental Fish Production’ held at NFDB 354.15 Review of NFDB-funded Project on Breeding and Culture of different stocks of Fenneropenaeus indicus for 36

developing a Genetically Improved Strain4.16 NFDB funded Technology Upgradation Projects Reviewed 374.17 Meeting to finalize Outreach Projects on Cobia and Pompano held at NFDB 384.18 Detailed Project Proposals on Cobia and Pompano – preparation, scrutiny and submission 404.19 Consultative Meetings on Aquaculture Crop Insurance held at NFDB 404.20 NFDB sponsored Training Programme for Aquapreneurs conducted at MANAGE, Hyderabad 434.21 Consultative Meeting on ‘Holistic Fisheries Development of Islands’ held at NFDB 444.22 NFDB and MANAGE sign MOU 455.1 National Fish Farmers’ Day-2016 and NFDB Foundation Day observed at NFDB 46

CONTENTS

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Sl.No. Item P.No.

5.2 Foundation Stone laid for NFDB funded Modern Fish Market at Port Blair in Andaman & Nicobar Islands 475.3 Guest Lecture on ‘Status of Artemia Culture in India and Future Prospects’, organized at NFDB 475.4 National Workshop on Dissemination of Results of Validation Studies on Coastal and Marine Ecosystems 48

organized by MoEF&CC, Chennai, Tamil Nadu5.5 NFDB funded project on ‘Upgradation and Dissemination of Seed Production Technology of Murrel” 49

launched at ICAR-CIFA, Bhubaneswar5.6 Meeting to finalize Project Proposals under ‘Central Sector Scheme on Blue Revolution: Integrated 49

Development & Management of Fisheries’ held at NFDB

5.7 NOS Workshop for Skill Development in Fisheries held at NFDB 505.8 Independence Day Celebrated at NFDB with School Children 515.9 Secretary, DAHD&F, Govt. of India, visits Private Fisheries Enterprises and NFDB Funded Projects 51

in Chhattisgarh5.10 Secretary, DAHD&F, Govt. of India, visits Pen and Cage Culture Units in Reservoirs of Jharkhand 535.11 Workshop on ‘Antibiotic Residue Issues in Shrimp Aquaculture’ held at CIBA, Chennai 545.12 Guest Lecture on ‘Commercialization of Freshwater Aquaculture Technologies’ organized at NFDB 556.1 NFDB team inspects site proposed for establishing ‘Centre of Excellence for L. vannamei Culture’ in Jhajjar 56

district, Haryana State6.2 Seasonal Breeding of Improved Varieties of Fish undertaken at National Freshwater Fish Brood Bank of 58

NFDB at Kausalyaganga, Bhubaneswar, Odisha6.3 Fish Seed Hatcheries in Jharkhand renovated with NFDB assistance inspected 596.4 NFDB Senior Consultant participates in various Fisheries Meetings in Kochi, Kerala 606.5 Monitoring & Evaluation Survey of NFDB funded Projects in Kerala 616.6 Monitoring & Evaluation Survey of NFDB funded Projects in Tamil Nadu 636.7 Chief Executive NFDB Interacts with Marine Fisher Community in Mangamaripeta (v), Visakhapatnam district, 63

Andhra Pradesh7.1 NFDB sponsored ‘State Level Fish Festival cum Workshop - 2016’ held at Ranchi, Jharkhand 647.2 ‘Krishi Unnati Mela’ organized at Mathura, Uttar Pradesh 657.3 NFDB sponsored Training Programme conducted by Dept. of Fisheries, Chhattisgarh 667.4 NFDB sponsored ‘Training-cum-Demonstration Programmes on Aquaculture’ conducted by Dept. of Fisheries, 66

Manipur8.1 Golden Mahseer Fish Bred successfully in Hatchery in Himachal Pradesh 678.2 Aquaculture & Fishery Industry Stakeholders Consultation Meeting held at Bhimavaram, Andhra Pradesh 688.3 NFDB participates in ‘20th India International Seafood Show - 2016’ at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh 689.1 NFDB commences publishing Hindi Version of the Newsletter ‘Matsya Bharat’ 699.2 New-Look NFDB Webpage launched 709.3 Principal Secretary, AHDD&F and Commissioner of Fisheries, Govt. of Telangana State visit NFDB 709.4 Govt. of Bihar Secretary Animal & Fisheries Resources Dept. and Director of Fisheries, interact with 70

Chief Executive, NFDB9.5 Uttar Pradesh MLA of Gopamau Constituency, Hardoi district, visits NFDB 719.6 Solar-Wind-Hybrid Power Generating Unit installed at NFDB 719.7 In-house Training Programme on MS Office Excel conducted at NFDB 719.8 NFDB participates in the ‘Rajbhasha Sammelan’ held at NIRD&PR, Hyderabad 729.9 ‘Hindi Sapthah’ observed at NFDB, Hyderabad 729.10 Newly recruited Executive Assistants (Tech) join NFDB 7310.0 NFDB in the Media 7311.0 Announcements (11.1 to 11.8): International Conferences/Congresses/Conventions 7411.9 Training/ Skill Development Programmes Sanctioned by NFDB 76 -- Matsya Samridhi’ NFDB Application for Financial Assistance 78

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K.N. Kumar, IASChief Executive, NFDB

Cage Culture – the future of Fisheries

Enhancing the fish production from the brackish and

marine waters, as also the fresh waters will call for

major technological interventions. Since the

government is very keen that we should achieve an

additional production of 5 million tonnes by the end

of 2020, grounding appropriate technologies becomes

that much more imperative. Optimal utilization of the

already developed technologies is also a case worthy

of serious scrutiny. Several useful technologies are

languishing in the laboratories. It is in this context

that we examine one such technology that has the

potential for expanding our production base manifold

in a short time. Cage culture, to my mind, is the future

of Indian fisheries, for several reasons. I will list some

of these:

Land availability is a constraint in most states so, to

keep digging more ponds for fish production will not

be that practical. Barring some hilly states and a few

states of the north eastern region, most of our states

cannot afford to earmark a lot of land for fisheries

purposes. Most of the productive land is under

agriculture or horticulture and diverting such

productive lands for fisheries is generally not seen as

a wise choice given the constraints of food security.

For such states cage culture could be a worthy option

to consider.

And, we have a large number of fresh water reservoirs

in the country, mostly unutilized from fisheries point

of view. India has 3.15 million hectares of reservoirs

and more than 5 lakh hectares of flood plain wetlands,

spread across the numerous river basins in the country.

The yield from the reservoirs is low, in fact, as low as

82 kg/ha. The NFDB’s experience of stocking the small

reservoirs of the country has been reasonably

successful, but that would not be sufficient to make a

big difference to the fish production of the country.

So, it will be necessary for us to focus on the medium

and large reservoirs and a quick and good way to

enhance fish production several times over will be

optimally to harness the vast fresh water resources of

these reservoirs, located almost all over the country. I

am happy to inform that the NFDB’s initial investments

in Jharkhand in sanctioning a few cages in a few of

their reservoirs have confirmed the enormous potential

the technology has, to increase the fresh water fish

production in the country. Now, several other states

are following the Jharkhand example.

This opens up another issue. How do we go about

establishing the cage culture in the country? What is

the system for it, and what ought to be the guidelines

to which we should conform to? Unplanned expansion

of cage culture could have disastrous consequences to

the fragile ecosystem of the reservoirs. So, there is a

felt need to create a framework, or a set of guidelines

From the Chief Executive

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that all the stakeholders would have to adhere to. So,

a national level committee to develop guidelines for

cage culture in inland open waters was constituted by

the NFDB, in April, 2016 with a mandate:

(a) To assess the potential of cage culture system to

contribute to increased production

(b) To assess the possible environmental and socio-

economic impact

(c) To suggest precautions to be taken and

(d) To suggest the modes of propagating and scaling

up of this technology to optimize benefits on a

sustainable manner.

The committee had met several times and drafted a

comprehensive set of guidelines that was vetted several

times by experts, and released now as ‘Guidelines for

Cage culture in Inland Open water bodies of India’.

The guidelines are uploaded on to the nfdb.gov.in

website for use by public at large. The guidelines cover

several aspects of cage culture, the material required

and the process of maintenance, species selection,

stocking density, environmental precautions and impact

assessment and issues relating to governance, etc.

There are of course, critical social concerns, relating

to the ownership, beneficiaries and governance. Since

reservoir based cage culture is practiced in common

property resources, the important question will be the

one relating to who can set up and own the cages in a

reservoir. Almost all the large and medium reservoirs

in the country are owned by the government or

government agencies and fishers have been using these

water bodies with free access. So, protecting the

interests of the fishermen is of as much importance as

it is, of enhancing the fish production. It should also

be noted that livelihoods of several poor people depend

upon catching fish from the reservoirs. Further, in

certain cases, several people ousted due to the

establishment of the reservoirs need to be also

rehabilitated, to ensure that their livelihoods are

restored. Therefore, in the cage culture guidelines this

aspect has been very carefully and sensitively

considered. Likewise, the governance structure should

be based on co-management principles and should be

the central philosophy for any intervention through

cage culture in reservoirs.

That brings us to the marine cage culture systems. The

CMFRI has already successfully demonstrated the

utility of cage culture systems for species like Cobia

and Silver Pompano. They will need to develop the

brood banks and hatchery infrastructure on the coast

line, so the interested fishermen can form the SHGs

and undertake the cage culture of Cobia and Silver

Pompano. The NFDB is actively considering the

proposals of the CMFRI and several maritime States,

so the marine cage culture also contributes to the fish

production in the country through an intensified system.

On balance, it can be concluded that cage culture in

inland open waters as well as marine waters is going

to emerge as a fast growing activity and a money

spinner. Treading the cage culture path will not just

call for technical expertise, but also a sensitive and

environmentally conscious decision-making. I see a

great future for cage culture in the country.

7


1. North and Northeast

1.1 Union Minister for Agriculture ReviewsFisheries Development in Mizoram

Shri Radha Mohan Singh, Hon’ble Union Minister forAgriculture, Govt. of India, reviewed various fisheriesdevelopment projects undertaken by the Department ofFisheries, including those assisted by the NFDB in the Stateof Mizoram, at a meeting with the Director and other SeniorOfficials of Dept. of Fisheries, Govt. of Mizoram, theOfficer-in-Charge, NFDB-NERC, Guwahati, etc., on 18June 2016 at Aizawl, Mizoram.

Shri Radha Mohan Singh, Union Minister for Agriculture,Govt. of India chairing a Meeting at Aizawl to reviewFisheries Development in Mizoram

1.2 Minister for Fisheries, Govt. of Assam, interactswith State Fisheries and NFDB Officials

After taking over as the Minister for Fisheries in the newlyelected Govt. in Assam, Shri Parimol Suklabaidya conveneda meeting on 1 June 2016 to review FisheriesDevelopmental activities in the State of Assam. Shri S.K.Das, Director of Fisheries, Shri P.K. Hazarika, NodalOfficer, Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), Dr. B. Lahon,Sr. Consultant and Shri A.S. Ahmed, Consultant, NFDBRegional Centre, Guwahati were present. The NFDBofficials appraised the Minister about NFDB activities inAssam as well as the entire North Eastern Region.Discussion was held on NFDB schemes and futurestrategies for fisheries development in the State. TheHon’ble Minister of Fisheries was impressed and stressedupon making bigger inroads for bringing in a BlueRevolution in the entire North East in general, and Assamin particular.

Shri Parimol Suklabaidya, Hon’ble Minister of Fisheries,Assam, with Shri S.K. Das, Director of Fisheries, Assam,Sri P.K. Hazarika, Nodal Officer-BTC, Dr. B. Lahon, Sr.Consultant and Shri A. Shamim Ahmed, Consultant, NFDB-NERC Guwahati

1.3 Land allotment to NFDB for North EastRegional Centre at Guwahati, reviewed by Minister,Govt. of Assam

Shri Parimol Suklabaidya, Hon’ble Minister for Fisheriesand Shri Atul Borah, Hon’ble Minister for AnimalHusbandry and Veterinary, Govt. of Assam, convened ameeting on 27 July 2016 to review the matter pertaining to

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land allotment for establishing the NFDB North EastRegional Centre Office at Khanapara, Guwahati, Assam.The proposed land belongs to the Department of AnimalHusbandry and Veterinary, Govt. of Assam. Shri M.C.Jauhri, Principal Secretary, Dept. of Fisheries, AH &Veterinary, Govt. of Assam, Director of Animal Husbandry& Veterinary, Shri S.K. Das, Director of Fisheries, Govt.of Assam, Shri P.K. Hazarika, Nodal Officer, BodoTerritorial Council, Dr. B. Lahon, Sr. Consultant and SriA.S. Ahmed, Consultant, NFDB Regional Centre, Guwahatiand other senior officers of the department attended.

All the concerned officials responded positively toallotment of land for NFDB Regional Centre at Guwahatiand it was felt that this would facilitate development offisheries sector in the entire Northeast as Guwahati is thegateway of Northeast.

Shri Parimol Suklabaidya, Minister for Fisheries and ShriAtul Borah, Minister for Animal Husbandry and Veterinary,Govt. of Assam, at the review meeting with Officials heldon 27 July 2016 at Guwahati, Assam

1.4 NFDB funded Rearing Ponds constructed inBeels of Assam inspected

NFDB provided financial assistance of Rs. 192.37 lakh toAssam Fisheries Development Corporation (AFDC) Ltd.for the construction of 95 rearing ponds in 19 Beels ofAssam. The ponds at Garalu Beel and No. 46 MorakollongBeel in Morigaon district and Gurguria–Borsinga Beel inNagaon district of Assam were inspected.

On 18 July 2016, Dr. B. K. Chand, Executive Director(Tech), and Dr. Sanjay Sharma, Sr. Executive (Tech),NFDB, Hyderabad, Dr. B. Lahon, Sr. Consultant, NFDB-NERC, Guwahati, accompanied by Shri P. Pathak,Executive Engineer, and Shri J.P. Saikia, Junior Engineerof AFDC Ltd., undertook the inspection of the fish seedrearing ponds constructed in the Beels in Morigaon andNagaon districts of Assam: 2 ponds in Garalu Beel, 6 ponds

in No. 46 Morakollong Beel and 2 ponds in Gurguria-Borsinga Beel. The construction work was completed andthe lease holders have started rearing fish seed in thoseponds. The fingerlings would be stocked in the main Beel.Thus a system of culture based capture fisheries is beingput in place to augment fish production and providesustainable livelihoods to the fishers.

Rearing Tank constructed with NFDB assistance atGurguria-Borsinga Beel, Nagaon district, Assam

Fish fry reared to fingerlings in the Rearing Tank at GaraluBeel, Morigaon district, Assam

The inspecting team at the site of No. 46 Morakollong Beel,Morigaon district, Assam

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1.5 NFDB sponsored Matsya Mahotsov & NationalFish Farmers Day organized at Directorate ofFisheries, Guwahati, Assam

The Directorate of Fisheries, Govt. of Assam, organizedMatsya Mahotsov, at its headquarters ‘Meen Bhawan’,Guwahati, Assam. NFDB sponsored the State Level AssamMatsya Mahotsav by providing an assistance of Rs. 13.30lakh.

As a part of celebrations, the ‘National Fish Farmers’ Daywas observed on 10 July 2016. Shri Parimol Suklyabaidya,Hon’ble Minister of Fisheries, Govt. of Assam was theChief Guest. A host of other dignitaries viz. Shri SiddarthaBhattacharjya, MLA, East Guwahati; Shri M.C. Jauhari,Principal Secretary (Fisheries), Govt. of Assam; Shri G.M.Srivastava, DGP (Retd.); Dr. Dilip Kumar, Director & ViceChancellor (Retd.), ICAR-CIFE, Mumbai; Dr. P.P.Chakrabarty, Principal Scientist, ICAR-CIFA,Bhubaneswar etc, graced the occasion. Dr. B. Lahon, Sr.Consultant & O-i-C, NFDB-NERC, Guwahati participatedin the event.

Shri Parimol Suklabaidya, Hon’ble Minster of Fisheries,Assam along with other dignitaries releasing the CDprepared by Directorate of Fisheries, Assam, on theoccasion of National Fish Farmers Day on 10 July 2016at Guwahati

Shri Parimal Suklabaidya, Hon’ble Minister of Fisheries,Assam released the CD prepared by the Directorate ofFisheries, Assam with financial assistance from NFDB. Theprogramme also included distribution of FRP Hatchery tobeneficiaries, felicitation of Fishery Co-operatives (inassociation with FISHCOPED) and fish seed release inGNB Tank.

On this occasion, Shri Amal Medhi of Nalbari district,Assam, was conferred the ‘Best Fish Farmer 2015’ of theState Award with a Certificate and Cash Prize of Rupeestwenty thousand. Shri Lilakanta Bora of Dibrugarh district,Assam, was awarded the Second ‘Best Fish Farmer 2015’of the State with a Certificate and Cash Prize of Rupeesfifteen thousand. Two other farmers viz. Shri Arjun Pasiand Shri Phul Kumar Roy of Cachar district, Assam, werejointly adjudged as the Third ‘Best Fish Farmer 2015’ ofthe State of Assam. The Directorate of Fisheries, Assamalso conferred ‘Certificate of Appreciation’ to three BeelLessees viz. Shri Mintu Das, Shri Lalchand Das and ShriBiren Das of Assam.

Shri Amal Medhi (left) of Nalbari district, Assam, receivingthe ‘Best Fish Farmer 2015’ Award from Shri ParimolSuklabaidya, Hon’ble Minster of Fisheries, Assam, on theoccasion of National Fish Farmers Day

1.6 Workshop on ‘Culture of Lesser Known FishSpecies of Commercial Importance in North EastIndia’ held at NFDB, Guwahati, Assam

A one-day workshop on ‘Culture of Lesser known FishSpecies of Commercial Importance in North East India’was organized by the NFDB, Hyderabad in association withDept. of Fisheries, Govt. of Assam on 16 July 2016 at thecampus of the North-eastern Regional Centre of NIRD&PR,Guwahati. Shri M.C. Jauhri, Principal Secretary (Fisheries),

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Govt. of Assam was the Chief Guest; Dr. R.M. Pant,Director, NIRDPR-North East Region Centre, Guwahatiand Dr. B. Kalita, Professor and HoD (Aquaculture),College of Fisheries, Assam Agricultural University werethe Guests of Honour. A host of other dignitaries viz. ShriS.K. Das, Director of Fisheries, Assam; Dr. B.K. Chand,Executive Director (Tech), NFDB, Hyderabad; Dr P. C.Mahanta, Former Director, ICAR-Directorate of ColdwaterFisheries Research, (ICAR-DCFR), Bhimtal, Dr. V.V.Sugunan, Senior Consultant, NFDB, Hyderabad, besidesFisheries Scientists and Senior Officials from Universities,Institutes and Departments of Fisheries of all the North-Eastern States and forty Progressive Fish Farmers from theNorth-Eastern States took part in the workshop.

Shri M.C. Jauhri, Principal Secretary (Fisheries), Govt.of Assam, the Chief Guest, addressing the participants ofworkshop at Guwahati

Dr. Sanjay Sharma, Senior Executive (Tech), NFDB,explained objectives of the workshop. Dr.V.V. Sugunan, inhis welcome address stressed on the need to bring morespecies into the culture systems. A large number ofindigenous fish species that occur in the region are verymuch relished by the local people, but their culture is notpracticed. He urged the scientists to fill the gaps, if any, intechnology or extension so that the Fisheries Depts. andDevelopment Agencies can promote such species.

Three technical sessions were held during the workshop.Dr. Rajesh Kumar, Scientist, ICAR-Central Institute ofFreshwater Aquaculture, Bhubaneswar, in his presentationon ‘Seed Production, larval rearing and grow outtechnologies of Murrels’ shared his experiences on cultureof the murrel, Channa striatus. While explaining thetechniques for breeding, larval rearing and culture of thespecies, he also mentioned the constraints. He outlined thepossible strategies for moving forward including themarketing and value addition.

Dr. Munil Kumar Sukham, Principal Scientist, ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Kolkata Centre,in his presentation on ‘Seed Production and rearing andculture aspects of Pengba Fish’ shared his experiences ofculturing Pengba, Osteobrama belangeri which is the StateFish of Manipur. Dr. Sukham highlighted the aspects ofintroducing Pengba as a component in polyculture systemwith Indian Major Carps.

Dr. Pratul Barman, Farm-in-charge, Ulubari Govt. Fish SeedFarm, Govt. of Assam, Guwahati during his presentationon ‘Seed Production and culture aspects of Puntius saranasarana’ shared his experiences on seed production of thespecies in the Government fish seed farm at Ulubari,Guwahati. Dr. Barman highlighted that hapa breeding iseffective for seed production of Puntius sarana sarana.

Dr. Debajit Sarma, Principal Scientist, ICAR-DCFR,Bhimtal while presenting his paper on ‘Cultivable coldwater fish species in NE region and its prospects forcommercial farming’ highlighted different aspects ofculturing coldwater fish species for livelihood security andprosperity through ecotourism and sports. Dr. Sarma alsostressed on the need for diversification through introductionof new commercially important species.

Shri Sankar Barua, Assistant Manager, Tata AmalgamatedPlantation in his presentation on ‘Experiences on Mola fishfarming at the tea estates low lying areas of Assam’ sharedhis experiences on culture of Amblypharyngodon mola inthe low lying areas of the tea gardens, with encouragingresults. Mr. Barua also explained the possibilities ofintroducing more species that have high nutritional value.

During the Plenary Session the followingRecommendations were made:

Each State of the Northeast Region should identify afew lesser known fish species having nutritional and

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therapeutic value and start their culture andpropagation.

Culture of murrels Channa spp., Puntius sarana, P.sophore, A. mola, Pengba O. belangeri, ChocolateMahseer Neolissochilus hexagonolepis (State Fish ofNagaland), Labeo dyocheilus and L. dero should bepromoted on priority basis.

Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute, GuwahatiCentre; Fisheries College Raha; Gauhati University;ICAR-NEH; ICAR-CIFA and ICAR-DCFR shall workin close liaison with the State Govts. to develop/ refine/disseminate the culture practices.

Extensive training on potentially important lesserknown fish species of Murrels, Pengba, Pabda, Labeo,Puntius, etc. should be undertaken.

The Central Institute of Fisheries Education (CIFE),Kolkata centre shall take initiative for arranging atraining programme on Pengba culture, for whichparticipants will be nominated by State FisheriesDepts. and the training will be sponsored by NFDB,Hyderabad.

Cluster approach to be adopted by State Governmentsfor training farmers on culture of lesser known fishspecies in collaboration with CIFA, CIFE and CIFRI.

1.7 NFDB sponsored Workshop on ‘Promotion ofOrnamental Fishes in the North Eastern Region ofIndia’ held at Guwahati University

One-day workshop on ‘Promotion of Ornamental Fishesin the North Eastern Region of India’ sponsored by theNFDB was organized by Dept. of Zoology, GuwahatiUniversity on 17 July 2016 at the campus of the GuwahatiUniversity, Guwahati, Assam. Dr. Mridul Hazarika, Vice-Chancellor, Guwahati University was the Chief Guest. Dr.B.K. Chand, Executive Director (Tech) and Dr. V.V.Sugunan, Senior Consultant, NFDB, Hyderabad, wereGuests of Honour. Dr. P.C. Mahanta, Former Director,ICAR-DCFR, Bhimtal; Dr. W. Viswanath, Professor,Manipur University; Dr. S.K. Das, Principal Scientist Head(Fisheries Divison), ICAR-NEH, Barapani, Shillong; Dr.B.K. Bhattacharjya, Principal Scientist and Head, ICAR-CIFRI Regional Centre, Guwahati: Dr. B. Kalita, Professorand HoD (Aquaculture), College of Fisheries, Assam

Agricultural University; Dr. Debajit Sarma, PrincipalScientist, ICAR-DCFR, Bhimtal, fisheries scientists andresearchers from different Fisheries Institutes and sixty fivefish farmers participated.

Dr. Mridul Hazarika, Vice-Chancellor, Gauhati University,delivering inaugural address (above) and a section of theparticipants (below) at the Workshop on Ornamental Fishesheld at Guwahati

Dr. Jatin Kalita, Coordinator and Head, Department ofZoology, Gauhati University, explained that the mainobjective of the workshop was to motivate and createawareness on scientific ornamental fish farming among thefarmers/entrepreneurs of North Eastern Region. Thetechnical sessions dealt with the ornamental fisheriesresources available in the North Eastern Region and cultureaspects of indigenous species. The workshop concludedwith a Plenary Session chaired by Dr. W. Viswanath,Professor, Manipur University, and it was resolved to takeup proper documentation of the ornamental fisheryresources in the form of a catalogue with colourphotographs; technical aspects would be taken care of byICAR Institutes and Agricultural Universities. It was alsoresolved to work towards the breeding and culture ofindigenous ornamental fishes which possess potential.

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1.8 NFDB funded Hygienic Fish Market underconstruction at Tezpur, Assam, inspected

NFDB sanctioned Rs. 225.00 lakh (90% assistance) andreleased Rs.165.9375 lakh in four instalments to theDirector of Fisheries, Govt. of Assam, for construction ofHygienic Wholesale and Retail Fish Market at Tezpur,Sonitpur district of Assam. On 26 July 2016 a teamcomprising of Dr. B. Lahon, Sr. Consultant & O-i-C, andShri A. Shamim Ahmed, Consultant, NFDB-NERC,Guwahati, accompanied by Shri P.K. Baroi, AssistantExecutive Engineer, Department of Fisheries, Assam, ShriV. Agarwal, representative of the Contractor (Shri PradipKalita), Shri P. Talukdar, Fishery Extension Officer,Sonitpur district and local community people inspected theprogress of work. The construction work is expected to becompleted by October 2016.

A view of the Retail Units (above) and Wholesale Units(below) in the Fish Market under construction at Tezpur,Sonitpur district, Assam

1.9 NFDB funded Reservoir Fish Seed Stockingundertaken in Manipur

NFDB provided financial assistance of Rs. 13.12 lakhs to

the Dept. of Fisheries, Govt. of Manipur towards stockingof advanced fingerlings under Reservoir FisheriesDevelopment Scheme for stocking fingerling in Thoubal,Khuga and Khoupum dam reservoirs in the State. NFDBreleased Rs. 6.56 lakhs as first instalment, for stocking of6.56 lakh fish fingerlings @ 1000 nos. per hectare ofEffective Water Spread Area (EWSA) for medium categoryof reservoir (Thoubal Reservoir, EWSA – 1000 ha) and @2000 nos. per hectare for small category of reservoirs(Khunga Reservoir, EWSA-109 ha and KhoupumReservoir, EWSA-109 ha). The fingerling stockingprogramme was conducted during the months of Augustand September 2016. The Director of Fisheries, AdditionalDirector of Fisheries, Manipur, local NGO representatives,and local fish farmers were present. Dr. Sanjay. Sarma,Officer-in-Charge, NFDB Regional Centre, Guwahati,Assam, participated in the fish fingerling release undertakenon 30 August 2016.

Ms. E. Sulochana Devi, Additional Director of Fisheriesreleasing fish fingerlings from a raft in one of the Reservoirsin Manipur

1.10 NFDB sponsored Interactive Workshop on‘Aquatic Animal Diseases of Assam’ held atGuwahati

A one-day Interactive Workshop entitled ‘Aquatic AnimalDiseases of Assam’ was held on 20 September 2016 at theICAR-CIFRI Regional Centre, Guwahati, Assam, under theNFDB funded major research project entitled “NationalSurveillance Programme for Aquatic Animal Diseases”(NSPAAD). NFDB sanctioned Rs. 5.629 Crore for the five-year network project to the National Bureau of Fish Genetic

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Resources (ICAR-NBFGR), Lucknow, the lead centrehaving 23 collaborating institutes across the country. Theworkshop was inaugurated by Shri M.C. Jauhari, PrincipalSecretary (Fisheries), Govt. of Assam. Dr. B.K. Das,Director, ICAR-CIFRI, Barrackpore, Kolkata, Scientistsfrom ICAR-CIFRI Regional Centre, Guwahati participated.Shri Parimal Suklabaidya, Hon’ble Minister for Fisheries,Govt. of Assam, graced the valedictory function of theinteractive workshop and distributed certificates to theparticipants. Dr. Sanjay Sarma, Officer-in-Charge, Dr. B.Lahon, Sr. Consultant and Mr. T.D. Sarmah, Jr. Consultant,NFDB Regional Centre, Guwahati, participated.

2. Farmers’ Note Book

2.1 Economically Very Important Marine Fish withWide Salinity Tolerance

In this Chapter, in the previous four Issues, under the head‘Lesser Known Freshwater Fish with Good EconomicPotential’, general information on the Striped MurrelChanna striata (Bloch, 1793), the Spiny EelMastacembelus armatus (Lacepède, 1800), Climbing PerchAnabas testudineus (Bloch, 1792) and Mola CarpletAmblypharyngodon mola (Hamilton, 1822) was provided.In this issue some general information about aneconomically very important marine fish popularly called‘Asian Seabass or Barramundi’ is being presented.

Lates calcarifer (Bloch, 1790)

Common Name

Asian Seabass or Barramundi

Vernacular Names

Andamans: Todah

Bengali: Bhekti, Begti

English: Giant Sea Perch

Kannada: Koliji, Keliji

Malayalam: Nari-meen, Nundee-meen,

Chemballi

Marathi: Khajura (large), Guri(small), Khajuri,Jiteeda, Fitadar

Oriya: Bekhut, Durruah

Tamil: Keduwa, Koduwa,Painnee-meen

Telugu: Pandugoppa, Pandu-chepa, Dadhara

Lates calcarifer (Bloch, 1790) Diagram (above),Photograph (below)

NFDB sponsored interactive workshop on ‘Aquatic AnimalDiseases in Assam’ held at ICAR-CIFRI Regional Centre,Guwahati, Assam

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Description

Body elongate, compressed, with a prominent caudalpeduncle; head pointed, sloping down; mouth large, slightlyoblique, villiform teeth, upper jaw extending behind eyeand with a prominent mandibular process; lower edge ofpre-operculum serrated, with strong spine at its angle;operculum with a small spine and with a serrated flap abovethe origin of the lateral line; Scales large, ctenoid; Dorsalfin spines 7-9, soft rays 10-11, a deep notch dividing thespiny and soft parts; Anal fin rounded, spines 3, soft rays7-8; Caudal fin rounded. Body grey or greenish along back,silvery below (purplish tinge during monsoon).

Habit & Habitat

Inhabits Marine waters – neritic, oceanic, coral reefs;Brackishwater – estuaries, lagoons, mangroves; Freshwater– rivers, streams, lakes, ponds; in India it occurs especiallyin estuaries of large rivers on the east coast, ascendingbeyond tidal reaches; in Godavari and Krishna Rivers, itgoes up to 130 km inland (catadromous). It is predatory inhabit, preys on fish and crustaceans.

Size & Weight

Length usually up to 45 – 60 cm weighing 2 – 3 kg; largerfish about 70 – 75 cm in length and weighing 4 – 5 kg arealso marketed. Fish measuring 100 to 200 cm and weighingabout 40 to 60 kg were captured from the wild in Indonesiaand Australia.

A record size Lates calcarifer – Picture by Jean-FrancoisHelias / Fishing Adventures Thailand [Source:www.fishbase.org]

Breeding & Life Cycle

Lates calcarifer is a diadromous fish, i.e., performsupstream and downstream migrations in rivers; it breedsin estuaries (river mouths) and shallow coastal waters. Itis a protandrous hermaphrodite fish, i.e., individual fish

undergo sex reversal during the life cycle. They maturefirst as males, remain so for one or more spawning seasons,grow further and transform into females. Therefore, thesmaller length/ younger year classes comprise of mostlymales, while the larger sized/ older year classes compriseof females. However, some immature fish may developdirectly into females and some males may never transforminto females.

Males as they mature migrate downstream from freshwaterhabitats to estuaries where females arrive from coastalwaters to spawn on full moon and new moon days suchthat the incoming high tides carry the buoyant fertilizedeggs to brackish-waters required for embryonicdevelopment. It does not breed naturally in ponds. Largefemales are capable of producing 2.3 million eggs per kgbody weight. The absolute fecundity of wild caughtBarramundi (Seabass) females in the Northern Territory/Gulf of Carpentaria, Australian, was observed to be as highas 15,300,000 to 47,700,000.

This species usually attains maturity during the second year,however one year old measuring 30 cm in length were alsoobserved to be mature. Along south-east coast of India, L.calcarifer matures when 50 - 60 cm in length; breedingseason is from April to September, although in Chilka Lakethe fish was observed to breed during January to Marchtoo. In Gangetic estuaries, juveniles 17 - 25 cm long areabundant in the cold season and even enter paddy fields.

Distribution

Widely distributed in the Indo-West Pacific region fromArabian Gulf to China, Taiwan, Philippines, Papua NewGuinea and northern Australia.

Fisheries & Aquaculture

Lates calcarifer is a good game fish and highly prized asfood in several countries. In many parts of India, particularlyin West Bengal, it is usually sold fresh; at other places, it isdried and salted to yield the best ‘tamarind’ fish. Dried airbladders (weighing about 28 g each) are exported as roughisinglass (a transparent form of gelatin used in glue, jelliesand as clarifying agent).

Aquaculture of Asian Seabass commenced in the 1970s inThailand, and rapidly spread throughout much of SoutheastAsia. This species adapts itself to freshwaters; in tankswith ample fish and crustacean forage, it attains a lengthof up to 46 cm in one year; it is a voracious carnivore and

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is not suitable for mixed culture. In view of the heavydemand for this fish, at least in Calcutta and Bombay-Broach regions, single species pond culture fed by anancillary culture of some cheap fish was attempted in thepast. In some natural ponds in Tamil Nadu, the fish weighed3 kg after a year’s feeding and 5 kg at the end of the secondyear. However, large-scale seed production and farmingof Seabass is yet to pick up in India.

Seabass Hatchery

The Seabass Hatchery was established by Rajiv GandhiCentre for Aquaculture (RGCA), the R & D arm ofMPEDA, during the year 2000 on a 13.2 acre own site atThoduvai village in Sirkali taluk of Nagapattinam district,Tamil Nadu. The hatchery complex comprises of aquarantine section, broodstock housing and spawningsections, larval rearing section, fingerling rearing area anda full-fledged live feed section that includes areas for Microalgae, Rotifer and Artemia. Accessory systems of seawaterintake, fresh water intake, reservoirs, overhead tanks,filtration and aeration systems and power back up systemsare also in place. State-of-the-art infrastructure facilitiesequipped with RAS (Recirculation Aquaculture Systems)with thermo and photo controls have also been establishedat the facility for broodstock housing and management foryear round production of seed.

Production Cycle

Aquaculture practices followed in Australia for productionof Barramundi (Seabass), comprising of broodstockmaintenance, induced spawning, hatching of fertilized eggs,larval rearing, fingerling production, grow-out culture innet cages and earthen/lined ponds, etc., is schematicallyshown in the Figure:

A schematic representation of Production cycle of Latescalcarifer [Source: www.fao.org]

Pond Culture of Seabass – A Success Story:

Smt. N. Vanitha, Veerappancherry village,Thiruthuraipoondi taluk, Thiruvarur district, Tamil Nadu,after undergoing training at RGCA, undertook farming ofAsian Seabass in 3.0 ha freshwater ponds developed withNFDB assistance in her own land at Palliamedu,Muthupettai panchyat, Thiruvarur district. The farmerfollowed a 3 tier system of culture; the sequence ofoperations was as follows:

1. Purchased 50,000 nos. of Fry from RGCA at Rs. 4/-each;

2. Nursery Ponds (4 no. on 1.5 acre): 2 cm Fry grownto 15 cm Fingerlings;

3. Rearing Cages fixed in one of the Pre-grow-outPonds (2.0 acres): Fingerlings grown to 100 gram;and

4. Grow-out Ponds (2.52 ha including Nursery Ponds):100 grams fish stocked and grown to 1.0 kg andabove.

5. One Reservoir Pond of 1.0 acre for culture of Tilapiathat serve as live feed for Seabass.

Sea Bass Hatchery of RGCA at Thoduvai village, Sirkalitaluk, Nagapattinam district, Tamil Nadu [Source: http://www.rgca.org.in]

Around one million Seabass fry and fingerlings are beingproduced annually at the RGCA facility round the year andsupplied to Farmers, Research Institutes, FisheriesDepartments of various States, NGO’s, etc. Severaldemonstrations on feasibility of Seabass cage farming ingrow out ponds have also been carried out at the aquaculturedemonstration farm of RGCA at Karaikal as well as in theponds of farmers to popularize Seabass culture. In addition,training programmes are also being conducted on a regularbasis.

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Farming results are as follows:

25,000 nos. Seabass Fry reared into AdvancedFingerlings, first in Nursery Ponds and then in Cages,were sold at @ Rs. 25 each; income Rs.6.25 lakh.

10,000 nos. of Advanced Fingerling stocked in Grow-out Ponds; culture period is 6 months; fish were fedpellet feed and Tilapia as live feed.

Initial harvest 4.5 MT of Table Fish of averageweight 1.0 kg; average selling price Rs.300/kg;income Rs.13.50 lakh.

Final harvest about 2.0 MT valued at Rs.6.00 lakh.

Earnings from cultured fish Rs.19.50 lakh; totalrevenue through sale of Advanced Fingerlings andHarvested Fish Rs.25.75 lakh.

The farmer incurred a total expenditure of Rs.17.64lakh on pond preparation, cages, inputs, aerators, etc.Thus, the net profit was Rs.8.11 lakh from Seabass(Lates calcarifer) culture from 3.0 ha in 6 months.

Cage Culture of Seabass – A Success Story:

Traditional Fishermen Cooperative Society (FCS) Membersof Byndoor village along Uppunda coast of Karnataka State,attended NFDB funded Training Programme on Open SeaCage Culture. Subsequently, they took up culture of Seabassin locally made cost- effective cages installed in backwaters.Cost of different cages i.e., nursery to grow-out, rangesfrom Rs.10,000/- to Rs.60,000/-. Production capacity ofthe grow-out cages ranges from 2 to 5 tons. The FCSmembers purchased Seabass fingerling of 10 cm lengthfrom hatchery; stocked initially in a Nursery Cages andlater transferred to Grow-out Cages after they attained 100g to 150 g weight. The culture period ranged from 6 months,by when they attained an average weight of 1.5 kg, to 17months by when they grew up to 5.0 kg. Seabass was soldin the market at Rs. 250 to 300 per kg. Cage Culture ofSeabass empowered the fishermen by providing an alternatelivelihood option during lean fishing period and alsoboosted their income.

Smt. N. Vanitha, NFDB assisted entrepreneur, at herSeabass Farm at Palliamedu, Muthupettai panchyat,Thiruvarur district, Tamil Nadu (above) and release ofSeabass seed into Rearing Cages (below)

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Seabass culture in low-cost Cages by Members ofFishermen Cooperative Society, Byndoor village alongUppunda coast of Karnataka State (also see Cover PagePhoto)

In view of the huge market demand for Seabass and thelack of assured supply of adequate quantities of qualityseed for undertaking large-scale farming, ‘Guidelines forImport of Asian Seabass Seeds and Fingerlings’ wereframed by the Dept. of Animal Husbandry, Dairying &Fisheries (DAHD&F), Govt. of India, and published bythe NFDB in November 2015 for dissemination. Thedocument is also available on the NFDB Website(nfdb.gov.in).

Booklet on Guidelines for Import ofSeabass Seed, issued by DAHD&F,Govt. of India

[Source: The Wealth of India, CSIR, 1962; http://www.rgca.org.in, www.fishbase.org; http://www.fao.org/fishery/culturedspecies/Lates_calcarifer]

2.2 Traditional Fisherman of Tamuria village,Madhubani district, Bihar, becomes an AquacultureEntrepreneur – A Success Story

Introduction

Traditionally, fishing from natural resources was the onlymeans of livelihood for fishermen communities. But, dueto depletion of natural fisheries resources, the dependentfamilies are facing problems of stable income for theirsurvival. They are in search of alternate livelihood options.Pond aquaculture is one of the best suited options relatedto their profession. But most of them are land-less andresource poor. However, a few fishermen with firmdetermination have utilized their inherited piece of landfor construction of fish ponds and worked hard withdevotion to produce fish by farming. By re-investing thehard earned money from fish farming, they expanded,created new infrastructure and in due course of time aresource-poor fisherman transformed into resource-richaquaculture entrepreneur. The present story is about onesuch traditional fisherman Shri Kapileswar Mukhia S/oLate Sadaiwa Mukhia, in Tamuria village, Madhubanidistrict, Bihar State. He is not only producing fish and fishseed commercially but also providing employment toseveral fellow fishermen in the locality by adoptingdiversified fisheries activities.

Background information

Shri Kapileswar Mukhia (S/o Late Sadaiva Mukhia), aged52 years, is a progressive fish farmer of Tamuria village,Tamuria Gram Panchayat, Lakhnaur Block, Madhubanidistrict, Bihar State. He belongs to fisher community,educated up to HSC, and fishing was his family’s traditionaloccupation. Due to decline in fish catch from naturalresources, his father took a timely decision to shift hisfamily profession from traditional fishing to fish farming.He gradually acquired land for pond construction and aChour (wetland) for Makhana-Fish farming. ShriKapileswar Mukhia has two brothers (Shri JogeswarMukhia and Shri Bogeswar Mukhia), and all three of themare jointly engaged in fish farming. Shri Kapileswar Mukhiaunderwent training on different aspects of fish farming inWest Bengal during 2011, through DoF, Govt. of Bihar,under NFDB funded scheme. After upgrading his skills inaquaculture, he improved upon his fish farming practices.The brothers inherited 8 ha agriculture land, 4 ha orchardarea, 8 ha fish farm and 11.2 ha Chour. They constructed

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33 fish ponds having water spread area of about 6 ha.Subsequently to meet the fish seed demand they constructeda commercial carp hatchery. Further, the money earned fromfish farming was ploughed back to purchase additional landfor expansion of aquaculture activities.

Shri Kapileswar Mukhia (left) a fisherman turnedprogressive fish farmer interacting with Dr. Radheyshyam,Sr. Consultant, NFDB (right) on his fish farm in Tamuriavillage, Madhubani district, Bihar

Presently the following activities are being undertaken bythe Mukhia Brothers:

(i) Grow-out Carp Culture:

Weed and predatory fishes in the ponds are completelyeradicated once in three years. Mahua oil cake is applied@ 600kg/ha to stimulate plankton production. Planktonproductivity is increased by fertilizing the ponds withorganic and inorganic fertilizers. Liming of ponds is alsodone. Fingerlings of Bhakur Catla catla, Rohu Labeorohita, Nai Cirrhinus mrigala, Grass carpCtenopharyngodon idella, Common carp Cyprinus carpioand Big Head Hypophthalmichthys nobilis are stocked @6600/ha. In addition, Moya Notopterus notopterus, andRoopchand in few numbers are also stocked. Since,formulated fish feed is expensive (Rs. 32/kg), they preparedlow-cost feed (Rs. 21/kg) on the fish farm using localingredients (mixture of mustard oil cake, rice bran andmineral mixture). Fish were fed fresh farm-made feed @15-16 kg/ha/day during initial culture period and @ 25-30kg/ha/day at final stage adopting bag feeding method.Periodically fish weighing above 0.6-0.8 kg were sold @Rs. 110-115/kg at farm gate, and the number of fishharvested was replenished with equal number of newfingerlings. Thus “multi-stocking and multi-harvestingmanagement” was practiced to maintain optimal fish

standing crop in pond, regular fish sale and income. Totalfish production was 5-6 t/ha/yr. From fish culture the farmerearned a total income of Rs. 14-15 lakh against anexpenditure of Rs. 4-5 lakh, per annum. The expenditureexcludes family labour involved in fish culture.

A view of the fish farm of Shri Kapileswar Mukhia atTamuria village, Madhubani district, Bihar

(ii) Carp Hatchery Operation and Seed Production:

The ‘Mithila Matsya Hatchery’ complex comprises of 3spawning pools for induced breeding, 20 incubation poolsfor fertilize eggs hatching, one over head tank to storewater and 11 cemented tanks for fish seed conditioningand marketing with required accessories for carp breedingand seed production. Over 6000 numbers of brood fish(Rohu, Catla, Mrigal, Grass Carp and Big Head) of 3-4 kgeach were maintained in well prepared ponds. Breeding offish was carried out from April to August every year.Annually over 2000 litres carp spawn (about 80 crore) wasproduced. The required quantity of carp spawn was stockedin well managed nursery ponds to nurture them into fry in15-25 days. Remaining carp spawn was sold @ Rs 3500 -4000 per litter depending upon the species. Per year 3 - 4crops of fry are taken from each nursery pond. Over 60lakh fry was produced per year and sold @ Rs 200-250 perkg depending upon the fish species. Left over fry in nurseryponds were reared for 3 - 4 month into fingerlings. Peryear fingerling production was about 45 lakh which weresold to fish seed vendors or directly to the members ofFishermen Co-operative Society at farm gate price of Rs200-250 per kg. From the spawn, fry and fingerlingproduction they made a gross income of Rs. 14-15 lakhagainst an expenditure of Rs. 7-8 lakh per year. Seedproduction activity on their farm has been witnessed alsoby Shri Nitish Kumar, Hon’ble Chief Minister, Bihar.

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A view of ‘Mithila Matsya Hatchery’ complex establishedby Mukhia Brothers (above), mature fish being selectedfrom brood stock (below) in their fish farm at Tamuria,Madhubani, Bihar

(iii) Attempts in Species Diversification:

Introduction of molluscivore fish Black CarpMylopharyngodon piceus (Richardson, 1846) in pondaquaculture system during 2015 was done by ShriKapileswar Mukhia. Black Carp is native to lakes and riversin East Asia, ranging from the Amur Basin through Chinato Vietnam. Black carp is a food fish, a bottom dwelling

molluscivore and used as a biological control agent forsnails. As per Asian records, large adults may be more than1.5 m total length and 70 kg or more in weight. Life span is15 yrs. A 4 year old fish is capable of consuming 1-2 kg ofmolluscs per day. It attains relatively large increments inweight annually and achieves sexual maturity. Females arecapable of producing 129,000-1,180,000 eggs in a singlebatch per year (depending upon body size). Spawningoccurs at water temperatures of 26-30°C. Black Carp hasbeen introduced in India illegally in pond culture system.Shri Mukhia purchased 10 yearlings of Black Carp fromfish seed vendors in West Bengal in 2015 and stocked alongwith IMC and exotic carps to control snails from the carppond. It grew to 5 kg in two years. Big HeadHypophthalmichthys nobilis was bred and cultured by him.He also stocked 60 Chitala Notopterus chitala, 125Roopchand Piaractus brachypomus and 30 PangasiusPungasius sutchi in his farm.

Shri Mukhia showing Black Carp (Mylopharyngodonpiceus weighing 5 kg) and Chitala (Notopterus chitala)brood fish in his farm in Tamuria, Madhubani, Bihar, toDr. Radheyshyam, Sr. Consultant, NFDB

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(iv) Makhana-Fish Farming in Chour:

(A) The Mukhia Brothers own an 11.2 ha Chour (perennialwetland) which is traditionally used for Makhana-FishFarming. In the peripheral shallow area of water bodyMakhana [Prickly Water Lily also known as Fox Nut:Euryale ferox Salisb.] was planted in the month of January-February every year. Pest control was done during March-April. During August-September Makhana-seed (Gurri)were harvested manually and processed traditionally. About12 tons of Gurri was produced annually. After processingthe seed, about 4 ton Makhana Puffs were obtained. Thiswas sold @ Rs. 250/kg to middlemen due to lack of storagefacilities. During off season the Puffs are sold @ Rs. 400-450/kg. Makhana Puffs fetched them a gross income ofRs. 10 lakh against the expenditure of Rs 5.4 lakh mostlytowards manpower engaged from among fishermen familymembers.

After flood receded, the central part of water body (Chour)was stocked with large sized fingerlings of Indian MajorCarp (IMC). Natural seed of air-breathing fish and smallindigenous fish (SIF) species that entered were allowed togrow along with IMC. The fish sustain on natural fish-food organisms and there is no supplementary feeding. Theair-breathing fish were harvested periodically by castnetting. Other fishes were removed by drag netting and/orcast netting after Makhana seed were harvested duringMarch-April. The harvested fish species included KawaiAnabas testudineus, Buari Wallago attu, Nandus nandus,Mangur Clarias batrachus, Sighi Heteropneustes fossilis,Murrels, Puntius Potia, Mola, Khosti, etc. Total fishproduction was 6600 kg/11.2 ha (av. 589 kg/ha/yr).Contribution to fish production by IMC, air-breathing fishesand other SIF was 50%, 40% and 10% respectively,whereas, income from the respective fish was 23.86%,72.11% and 4.03% due to high price of air-breathing fish.The IMC were sold @ Rs 110-115/kg, air-breathing fish@ Rs.400-450/kg and SIF @ Rs.90-100/kg depending uponfish size and species, at the Chour site. Total income fromMakhana together with fish was Rs. 25,55,950 (Rs. 2,28,210/ha/yr). Major income was from fish production(60.88%), while Makhana contributed only 39.12% of thetotal income.

(B) The Mukhia Brothers also took an 8 ha wetland onlease @ Rs 1.1 lakh/year (Rs 13,750/ha/yr) for seven yearsfrom Govt. of Bihar. They raised Makhana crop in theperipheral shallow area and fish in central open area of the

water body. They harvested about 12 tons Makhana seedfrom which about 4 ton Makhana Puffs was obtained. Itwas sold @ Rs.250/kg fetching gross income of Rs 10 lakh/8ha/year. From this wetland about 7 tons fish (av. 875 kg/ha/yr), which included 3500 kg IMC, 2800 kg air-breathingfishes and 700 kg other SIF harvested. From fishproduction, farmer made gross income of Rs.16,50,250/8ha/yr (av. Rs 2, 06,281/ha/yr). Gross income from fishand Makhana together was Rs. 26.5 lakh (av. 3.31 lakh/ha/yr) of which 62.26% contributed by fish production withoutany feed or fertilization.

(v) Sub-leasing Community Fish Ponds to Members ofFisherman Co-operative Society for their Livelihood:

One of the brothers of Shri Kapileswar Mukhia is an electedSecretary of Fishermen Co-operative Society of TamuriaGram Panchayat, Block: Lakhnaur, District: Madhubani.All the Government ponds of the Panchayat were leased tothe Secretary for 7 years. Lease value varies according toproductivity level of ponds. Based on that 10-15% revenuewas taken by the Government. In Tamuria Gram Panchayat,there were 93 Government ponds covering an area of 140ha. All the ponds were given on lease at Rs 2.10 lakh with5% increase in lease value every 3 years. There were 300Registered Members in the Fishermen Co-operativeSociety. These ponds were sub-leased to the Members ofFisherman Co-operative Society in groups, with a 15%increase over the original lease amount fixed by the Govt.of Bihar. The revenue ‘generated is utilized for maintenanceof the Society, payment of lease value to Government andsocial welfare of the fishermen community in more thanone way. The Members of Fishermen Co-operative Societyundertake aquaculture in these ponds for not only earningtheir livelihood but also to increase fish production in theState.

(vi) Employment Generation to Fishermen Community:

Shri Kapileswar Mukhia adopted diversified activities notonly for fish seed, grow-out fish and Makhana productionbut also to generate suitable employment to fishermen inthe locality and to prevent them from migrating to otherStates for their livelihood. He himself employed 22fishermen for fish culture, brood stock management,hatchery operation and fish seed production by paying Rs5000-6000/ month besides providing food and shelter. ForMakhana-Fish Farming in wetlands he employed 60 people.He facilitated indirect employment to 200 people annuallythrough mobile marketing of fish seed and food-fish from

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his farm. Fish vendors were able to earn Rs 400-1000 perday depending on the mode of conveyance and frequencyof fish seed transport. As Secretary, Shri Mukhia providedalternate occupation in pond aquaculture to 300 fishermenthrough Fisherman Co-operative Society.

(vii) Conclusion:

Shri Kapileswar Mukhia inherited and gradually expandedpond aquaculture resources for providing employment tohis joint family members by adopting grow-out fish culture,carp breeding, seed production and Makhana-Fish Farmingin Tamuria village of Madhubani district, Bihar. Involvingthe entire family in various fish farming activities, heproduced over 80 crore carp spawn, 60 lakh fry, 45 lakhfingerlings, 5-6 t/ha/yr fish from ponds and 589-875 kg/ha/yr fish and 8 tons Makhana Puffs from the Chour peryear. Besides, he also generated employment directly to82 and indirectly to 500 local fishermen by adoptingdiversified activities. He not only provided self-employment to his family members but also producedquality fish seed for stocking fish ponds in the region, andprovided healthy fish and Makhana Puffs for ruralconsumers and improved their nutritional security. ShriMukhia showed the way for pond aquaculture andMakhana-Fish Farming to his traditional fellow fishermento follow suit as an alternative livelihood option. However,moral, financial and technical supports are needed fromGovernment and Non-Government Organizations tomotivate more traditional fishermen to take up pondaquaculture.

(viii) Suggestions for Further Development:

Based on the above observations and also visits toShivaganga Matsya Hatchery in Sakari Nawar villag,Madhubani district and Dalihara Wetland (Chour) in DeepPanchayat, Lakhnaur Block, in Madhubani district, andKusheswarasthan Seasonal Wetland (Chour) in Darbhangadistrict, Bihar, the following suggestions are made by Dr.Radheyshyam, Sr. Consultant (Fisheries), NFDB,Hyderabad, for enhancing fish production:

In pond culture system genetically improved varietyof carp like Jayanti Rohu and Amur Carp may beincorporated for better production.

Fishers/ Fish Farmers may expand pond aquacultureby constructing new ponds in unproductive land/wetland area for enhancing livelihood opportunities.

Damaged embankments of existing old ponds needrenovation.

Establishing Pangasius sutchi Hatchery and AmurCarp Hatchery may be beneficial to the local farmerand the region as a whole.

Since imported fish feed is costly, a feed mill maybe establish in Tamuria by Shri Mukhia to meet thefish feed demand in the locality.

The Makhana-Fish Farming in perennial wetlands(Chour) may be taken up with scientificinterventions. In small Chours, after flood recedes,large size carp yearlings should be stocked in themonth of October-November in addition to the auto-stocked air-breathing fishes. In central open part ofthe wetland light or solar lamp may be installed toattract aquatic insects which would fall into waterand serve as good food for air-breathing fishes. Thestocked stunted yearlings should be providedsupplementary feed. By March-April they may eachgrow to above 1.0 kg weight. Supplementary feedingmay also increase the productivity of air-breathingand other small indigenous fish species.

All the old and defunct Government Fish Ponds/Tanks need to be renovated before leasing to theSecretary, Fishermen Co-operative Society and inturn leased to Member Fishermen for betteraquaculture management and enhancing fishproduction.

Bamboo framework used for drying small indigenous fishes(some 51 species and up to 100 tonnes of them) capturedseasonally from Kusheswarasthan wetland (Chour) inDarbhanga district, Bihar

[Source: Report by Dr. Radheyshyam, Sr. Consultant(Fisheries), NFDB, Hyderabad, on the visit to Bihar during8 - 10 June 2016]

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3. New/ Innovative Technologies in Fisheries

3.1 ‘Fishlizer’ – Organic Fertilizer from Fish Waste

The Krishi Vigyan Kendra (ICAR-KVK), Narakka, Kochi,

Kerala, launched a new organic fertilizer from marine fish

waste – ‘Fishlizer’ as part of its Swacch Bharat initiative.

The product was launched by Dr. A.K. Singh, Deputy

Director General (Agricultural Extension) of Indian

Council of Agricultural Research on 14 August 2015 at

ICAR-CMFRI. This product is produced through microbial

degradation of marine fish waste in coir pith medium, a

waste product from the coir industry. Fishlizer contains all

essential elements for plant growth. The amino acids present

in the marine fish would enhance flowering and fruit setting

in plants, favouring enhanced production. The Fishlizer is

available for purchase in 500 gram packets in the ICAR-

CMFRI-ATIC/KVK Sales Counter. The standard

recommendation is 200 gram Fishlizer per grow-bag as

basal dose and subsequent 50 gram at 15 days interval.

Satellite Production Centre for ‘Fishlizer’:

Satellite Production Centres (SPCs) are established in

partner-farmer’s fields to augment the capacity of KVK to

supply more agro inputs to meet the increasing demand

from farmers. SPCs are established in a public private

partnership (PPP) mode under the strict quality control of

KVK. This also helps the partner farmer to realize more

profit from unit area and assured income thereby improving

his/her socio-economic status.

The SPC to produce Fishlizer was established in the farm

of Shri Saiju T.P. Puthanthara, at Mulavukadu Island near

Ernakulam during January 2016. So far 1.5 MT of fish

wastes collected from Ernakulam fish market was processed

into 900 kg Fishlizer and sold through KVK’s sales counter.

[Source: ICAR-CMFRI, Krishi Vigyan Kendra

(Ernakulam), Aarattuvazhy Beach, Narakkal Post, Kochi -

682 505, Kerala; Telephone Office: 0484 2492450,

2277220; http:// kvkernakulam.org.in

satellite_production_centres-.html]

‘Fishlizer’ production and utilization: A view of the marinefish waste being processed (above); Fishlizer Packets forsale (middle); Vegetable garden being raised in grow-bagsusing Fishlizer (below)

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4. NFDB Initiatives

4.1 NFDB funded Projects on Ornamental Fisheriesreviewed at NFDB, Hyderabad

Considering the scope for development of OrnamentalFisheries in India by involving rural beneficiaries especiallywomen SHGs, farmers and entrepreneurs, NFDB providedfinancial assistance Rs. 43.38 crore since 2006 for thedevelopment of the sector in 25 States. A review of theOrnamental Fisheries Projects funded by NFDB during thelast three years was undertaken on 7 June 2016 at NFDB,Hyderabad. Dr. Bimal Kinkar Chand, Executive Director(Tech), NFDB welcomed the participants; Dr. V.V.Sugunan, Sr. Consultant (Fisheries), NFDB chaired thesession. Dr. Utpal Kumar Sar, Executive Director (Tech)and Shri P.N. Janardhan, EC Member, NFDB, were present.

A panel of three experts made presentations and laterreviewed the progress of NFDB funded projects. Dr. B.K.Mahapatra, Principal Scientist, CIFE, Kolkata, presentedthe R & D issues in breeding, seed production and cultureof inland ornamental fish. Dr. G. Gopakumar, EmeritusScientist, CMFRI, presented the status of the marineornamental fisheries, hatchery technology and stressed on3 Cs – Collection, Culture and Conservation and GreenCertification. Dr. S. Tabrez Nasar, Vice-Dean, Institute ofLivelihood Research and Training, Hyderabad, stressed oncreating substantial employment opportunities andenhancing livelihood opportunities of rural women bydeveloping business models to cater the needs of the grassroot entrepreneurs.

Expert Panel Members on Ornamental Fisheries makingPresentations at the review meeting: Dr. B.K. Mahapatra– on Inland Ornamental Fish (above, left), Dr. G.Gopakumar – on Marine Ornamental Fish (above, right)and Dr. S. Tabrez Nasar – on Entrepreneurship Promotionin Ornamental Fisheries (below)

The major constraints he focused on include marketing asthere is lack of cluster/group approach, production, scale,quality, price competitiveness, supply-delivery limitations,absence of regulatory mechanisms. He also outlined theframework of the proposed project for ‘Ornapreneurs’,including Business Development Facilitators, (BDFs),Directorates of State Fisheries and NFDB as participantsin the development of ornamental fisheries through theOrnapreneurs.

Representatives from the State Depts./ Agencies, PrincipalInvestigators and Trainers implementing the NFDB fundedOrnamental Fisheries Projects made presentations. Theiroutputs were reviewed by the panel of experts andsuggestions offered.

(1) Dr. Sahadevan, FIRMA, DoF, Kerala presented thestatus of ornamental fisheries backyard units/ homesteadunits funded by NFDB; he expressed that Fish Melas couldcreate awareness among the hobbyists and public on theornamental fisheries and that it was a need to revive KAVIL(Kerala Aqua Ventures International Ltd). The pendingprojects and pending UCs were discussed and discussed.A team from the M&E and Ornamental Fish Divisions ofNFDB was asked to inspect the units established by KAVIL.(2) Ms. Jasmine, FDO, Dept. of Fisheries, Govt. of AndhraPradesh presented the progress of the projects. The pendingissues and UCs due were discussed. (3) Dr. Vishwanath,ADF, Govt. of Karnataka, presented an over view ofornamental fisheries in Karnataka and explained the statusof NFDB funded ornamental fisheries projects in the State.He highlighted the requirement of Quarantine Facility,Brood Bank and setting up of three Marine Aqua Parks inPPP mode. (4) Shri N. V. Murali Krishna, representativefrom Acharya Nagarjuna University, Guntur presented thestatus of the NFDB funded project: the civil work is nearingcompletion and the ornamental fish work would startshortly. (5) Prof. S. P. Biswas, Dibrugarh University gavebrief presentation on the NFDB funded project on‘Breeding of Selected Indigenous Ornamental Fish Speciesof upper Brahmaputra Basin’. He had submitted the UCfor an amount of Rs.32.15 lakh along with the physicalprogress report. Preparation of an Atlas of the IndigenousSpecies was suggested and it was recommended to senddigital photographs with details of all the fish species

24


studied under the project to NFDB for publishing the Atlas.It was suggested to concentrate further work on Channaaurantimaculus and Mystus dibrugarensis under theproject. (6) Dr. Shiva Shankar, University of AgricultureSciences, Raichur, Karnataka presented the progress ofIntegrated Ornamental Fish Hatchery set up with NFDBfunds. He proposed training programs on ornamentalfisheries to the entrepreneurs and self-help groups indifferent districts in the Northern Karnataka. (7) Mr. MilindGirkar, College of Fisheries, Udgir, Maharashtra, statedthat infrastructure has been developed under the NFDBfunded project. (8) Dr. Ravindra L. Kale, ProgrammeCoordinator, KVK, Risod, Washim, Maharashtra, presentedthe results of Ornamental Fish breeding, Rearing andEntrepreneurship development and assured to submit thephysical and financial progress report. (9) Ms. AbhinikaJain, OFTRI, Udaipur, Rajasthan, presented the progressof NFDB funded training programmes

Presentations on NFDB funded Ornamental FisheriesProjects implemented by (left to right) KAVIL, Kerala;KFDC, Karnataka; Dibrugarh University, Assam; UAS,Raichur, Karnataka; KVK, Washim, Maharashtra andOFTRI, Udaipur, Rajasthan

Dr. Sanjay Sarma, Senior Executive presented the NFDBmission plan for the development of Ornamental Fish Sectorin the country. Dr. B. K. Chand, Executive Director (Tech)summarized the salient points discussed in the reviewmeeting. Dr. V. V. Sugunan, Sr. Consultant delivered theconcluding remarks. Mrs. A. V. Madhuri, Executive (Tech),NFDB proposed the vote of thanks.

Representatives from Implementing Agencies of NFDBfunded Projects on Ornamental Fisheries, Expert PanelMembers and NFDB Officers at the review meeting

4.2 Workshop to finalize Fishery Project Proposalsfrom KVKs for NFDB Funding organized at ICAR-ATARI, Kolkata

With the objective of building the required capacity andskill of fish farmers and developing entrepreneurship infisheries sector in Eastern India with NFDB funding, aWorkshop was organized by the Agricultural TechnologyApplication Research Institute (ICAR-ATARI), Kolkata on8 June 2016, to screen and finalize the Fishery Projects(Training Proposals) submitted by Fishery Subject MatterSpecialist (SMS) in the KVKs of ATARI Zone-II. Dr. S. K.Roy, Director, ICAR-ATARI, Kolkata, Dr. R. Suresh, SeniorConsultant, HRD, NFDB, Hyderabad, Dr. S. Biswas, DREF,West Bengal University of Animal and Fishery Sciences,Kolkata, Dr. R. K. Sohane, DEE, Bihar AgriculturalUniversity, Sabour, Bihar, Principal Scientists of ICAR-ATARI, Kolkata and Programme Co-ordinators, SMSs fromselected KVKs of Zone-II attended the meeting

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Workshop on Fishery Projects for NFDB Fundingorganized at ICAR-ATARI, Kolkata

At the outset, Dr. K. S. Das welcomed the delegates,informed about the details of project proposals submittedby KVKs and detailed about the further proceedings of themeeting. While welcoming the delegates, Dr. S. K. Roy,Director, ICAR-ATARI, Kolkata briefed about the purposeof meeting and suggested the KVKs to follow NFDB normsand guidelines for submission of training proposals. Headvised for proper beneficiary selection for the programmeby the KVKs. Dr. R. Suresh, Senior Consultant, HRD ofNFDB, Hyderabad, explained the modus operandi of thecapacity building programme and expectations of NFDBfrom the KVKs in training, hand-holding and motivatingfish farmers. He stressed on the committed and concertedapproach of both ATARI and NFDB in improvinglivelihoods of fishermen in this part of the country wheredisparity in production and consumption of fish providesopportunities for remunerative marketing. He emphasizedthe need for problem-based, district-specific trainingmodule to be devised by the KVKs for successfulimplementation of the programme. Appreciating the roleof NFDB in organizing such impressive programme, Dr.S. Biswas, Director of Research, Farm and Extension ofWest Bengal University of Animal and Fishery Science,Kolkata, West Bengal stressed upon the need for practicingscientific fish culture by the farmers. Dr. R. K. Sohane,Director of Extension Education of Bihar AgriculturalUniversity, Sabour, Bihar suggested to develop a budgetprototype for such training modules. Twenty two KVKs inthe zone presented their proposals which were finalizedthrough detailed discussion during the workshop. Themeeting ended with the vote of thanks by Dr. F. H. Rahman.

Presentations by the Fishery SMS of KVKs at the Workshopheld at ICAR-ATARI, Kolkata

4.3 Review Meeting on Promising FisheryTechnology organized by ICAR-ATARI Jabalpur,at CIFE Kolkata Centre, Kolkata

A two-day ‘Review Meeting on Promising FisheryTechnology’ was organized by the ICAR-ATARI ZonalProject Directorate, Zone-VII, Jabalpur, on 9 – 10 June2016 at Kolkata Centre of CIFE, Kolkata. The objectivewas to review the possible convergence of KVKs andNFDB for capacity building and skill development of fishfarmers of the States in the Zone. The Fisheries experts(SMS/PA) of KVKs from Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradeshand Odisha presented the training proposal based on theneeds of districts of respective States for NFDB financialassistance which were reviewed by Dr. R. Suresh, SeniorConsultant, NFDB, Hyderabad.

Review Meeting on Promising Fishery Technologyorganized by ICAR-ATARI Zonal Project Directorate, Zone-VII, Jabalpur, at Kolkata Centre of CIFE, Kolkata

Dr. B. K. Mohapatra, Principal Scientist and O-i-C,Principal Scientists, Senior Scientists of CIFE KolkataCentre, Fisheries experts from different KVKs of Madhya

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Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Odisha, Fisheries DepartmentOfficers from Punjab and Haryana participated. Dr. S. R.K. Singh, Sr. Scientist, ATARI Zone-VII, Jabalpursuggested the Fisheries SMS/PA to identify the promisingfisheries technologies for capacity building of farmerswhich may bring about remarkable change through itsdissemination in the district in addition to other mandatoryactivities conducted by KVK. Dr. R. Suresh indicated thateach SMS has to identify the needs of the district andpropose five training programmes as per the norms andguidelines for NFDB funding.

Technical Session - I

During this Technical Session-I, on 9 June 2016, FisheriesSMSs from KVKs at Balaghat, Bhadrak, Datia,Mahasamund, Dewas, Sarguja, Gariyaband, Bastar andRaigarh presented the salient features of capacity buildingprogrammes for farmers on Promising FisheriesTechnologies. Dr. S.K. Rai, Director (i/c), ATARI, Kolkataand Dr. Pal, Sr. Scientist, ATARI, Kolkata chaired thesession.

Technical Session - II

During the Technical Session-II, on 10 June 2016, FisheriesSMSs from KVKs at Ganjam I, Mayurbhanj-I, Nayagarh,Dhenkanal, Ganjam-II and Kawardha presented theirproposals on Promising Fisheries Technologies for farmers.This session was chaired by Dr. Anupam Mishra, Director,ATARI, Jabalpur and Dr. R. Suresh and coordinated by Dr.S.R.K. Singh, Sr. Scientist, ATARI, Jabalpur. Dr. S.K. Rai,Director (i/c) and Dr. Pal, Sr. Scientist, ATARI, Kolkataand Prof. S.S. Dana, Professor (Fisheries), West BengalAnimal &Fishery Sciences University graced the session.

Concluding Session

Dr. Anupam Mishra, Director, ATARI, Jabalpur andChairman of the session suggested Fisheries SMSs toprepare District Fisheries Profile with data on all fisheriesstakeholders and fisheries related activities. Evaluation ofTraining Progarmme may be carried out and TraineesWorkshop may be organized for better understanding ofthe training impact. Credit Institutions should be engagedduring training for loan and financial support to the farmers.State Fisheries Dept. Officials are to be involved to createawareness among the farmers about Dept. Schemes and tohave convergence with KVKs. The Chairman also indicatedthat PC/SMS/PA should search for technical solutions toproblems in accomplishing the mandated works.

Dr. R. Suresh, Sr. Consultant (Fy), NFDB, Hyderabadadvised the Fisheries SMSs from coastal district KVKs totake up programme on Welfare of Marine Fishermen, MudCrab Fattening and to take advantage of two promisingfishes – Pangasius and GIFT Tilapia for intensification ofaquaculture. He suggested the participants to submit twoproposals in the first phase.

4.4 National Orientation Workshop for theFisheries SMS organized by NFDB at NAARM,Hyderabad

NFDB took the initiative of establishing a capacity buildingnetwork in the country with the help of ICAR-ATARIs(Agricultural Technology Application Research Institutes)and the Training Institutes of State Fisheries Departments,and to draw a road map involving the 642 KVKs in thecountry and to make use of the expertise and extensionservices of their 118 Subject Matter Specialists (SMS) inFisheries. As part of this initiative, a two-day ‘NationalOrientation Workshop for the Fisheries SMS’ wasorganized by NFDB on 16 and 17 June 2016 at ICAR-NAARM, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad. Thirty nine SMSsfrom 17 States participated in the workshop which wascoordinated by Dr. R. Suresh, Sr. Consultant, and Ms. S.Glory Swarupa, Consultant, NFDB.

Shri K.N. Kumar, Chief Executive, NFDB addressingparticipants at the National Orientation Workshop for theFisheries SMS in KVKs held at NAARM, Hyderabad

Shri K.N. Kumar, Chief Executive, presented a briefbackground of fisheries sector, the weak fisheries extensionsystem in the country and the expected role of KVKs intransfer of technology. He drew attention to the need fordevelopment of Fisheries and Aquaculture, especially thefreshwater aquaculture, to achieve the 15 MMT production

27


target of the country by 2020. He opined that there is aneed to develop a dedicated fisheries extension systemthrough the KVKs for the development of fisheries sectorin the country.

Dr. M. Vijay Gupta, World Food Prize Laureateinaugurated the workshop and made a presentation on “FishProduction: Where we are & Where we need to be: Roleof Knowledge Providers (SMSs)”. He shared hisexperiences, extension and outreach activities undertakenby him in Bangladesh, and highlighted the challenges inincreasing aquaculture production.

Dr. M. Vijay Gupta making a presentation at the NFDBorganized workshop for Fisheries SMS at NAARM

Dr. Sudhir Raizada, Assistant Director General, InlandFisheries, ICAR delivered a talk on “IntegratedDevelopment of Fisheries and Aquaculture”. He highlightedthe need for responsible and sustainable utilization offishery resources and listed the technologies and productsdeveloped by the ICAR Fisheries Institutes which need tobe transferred to the fields.

Dr. K. Ravindranath, Senior Consultant, Dr. V.V. Sugunan,Senior Consultant and Shri Pranjal Sharma, Consultant,NFDB; Dr. N. Sarangi, Former Director, CIFA,Bhubaneswar; Dr. A. K Reddy, Principal Scientist, CIFE,Mumbai; Dr. Anna Mercy, Professor (Retd.), KUFOS,Kochi, Kerala and Dr. Ganesh, Project Manager, RGCA,Tamil Nadu, made presentations during technical sessions.Shri Narasimham, Chairman, Teewave Technologies,Hyderabad made a presentation on the low-cost fish dryers,freezers, etc., and also displayed and demonstrated the EcoFish Hatchery unit developed by CIFE, Mumbai, whichhe is manufacturing under license.

Shri K. N. Kumar, Chief Executive in his concludingremarks, stressed the importance of KVKs in propagatingappropriate fisheries technologies among the variousstakeholders of the sector. He encouraged the participantsto put sincere efforts for the progress of the fisheries sectorin the country to achieve the Blue Revolution. He suggestedall extension functionaries to formulate need based projectsfor the development of the sector.

Participants of the NFDB organized workshop forFisheries SMS at NAARM, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad

4.5 Governance Workshop for the NGOs Workingwith Traditional Fishermen organized by NFDBat NIRD&PR, Hyderabad

A three-day ‘Governance Workshop for the NGOs Workingwith Traditional Fishermen’ was organized by NFDB from27 to 29 June 2016 at NIRD&PR, Rajendranagar,Hyderabad. The participants were the President/ Chairmanof the NGOs working for the welfare of fisher communitiesin the coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh. The workshopwas inaugurated by Shri K.N. Kumar, Chief Executive,NFDB. In his inaugural address he has highlighted theimportance of human resources and self-discipline. Heexpressed that the living standards of fishermen communityis very low compared to any other community in thecountry. Hence there is a need to address this issue and theCivil Societies are the medium though which change canbe brought about. Therefore, a greater thrust is to be givento empower the NGOs.

The team from Initiatives of Change (IofC), Panchghani,Maharashtra handled the sessions. The important topicsdiscussed during the workshop are Soul Nurture withNature; Making a Difference – Starting with Me; Relatingto others and the needs of society; Beyond oneself – the

28


‘new me’ for a new society. There were group discussions,Learning activities (Life’s Balance Sheet), Outdooractivities, Inspiring, thought provoking videos, Interactivesessions, Motivational games, sharing and learning fromeach other. Listening to inner voice was demonstrated andpracticed daily.

Shri W.R. Reddy, Director General, NIRD&PR handled asession on positive thinking, time management and sharinghis experiences to encourage the participants. There was apanel discussion on the plight of poor fisherman’s life andthe expected Role of NGOs for improvement. Dr. P.Durgaprasad and Dr. Venkatraju of NIRD&PR, Dr. S.Subramanyam, Dr. K. Ravindranath and Dr. R. Suresh ofNFDB were the panelists. The participants were highlymotivated and expressed their willingness to changethemselves and bring about change among the coastalfishermen communities.

The team from ‘Initiatives of Change’ (IofC), making apresentation on transforming human motives, behaviourand character (above); Panelists from NIRD&PR andNFDB (middle) and the NGO Participants (below) at theGovernance Workshop organized at NIRD&PR, Hyderabad

4.6 Refresher Training Programme for MiddleLevel Fisheries Extension Functionaries on “NewDimensions in Extension Management” conductedat MANAGE

A six-day NFDB sponsored Refresher Training Programmefor Middle Level Extension Functionaries of FisheriesDepartment on “New Dimensions in ExtensionManagement” was conducted from 27 June to 2 July 2016by MANAGE Rajendranagar, Hyderabad. Twenty fourparticipants (Fisheries Officers & Subject MatterSpecialists) from State Fisheries Departments and KrishiVignan Kendras representing 15 States participated in theprogramme.

Smt. Usha Rani, Director General, MANAGE inauguratedthe programme. Dr. M.A. Kareem, Course Coordinatordetailed the contents of the programme, which included:

Global and national perspective of fisheriesdevelopment

Overview and status of Fisheries Extension in thecountry

Alternate Extension Approaches

Integrated Extension Services (FSA & FSBE)

Extension Reforms – issues and challenges inconvergence

Marketing scenario and alternate marketing systemsin fisheries

Role of ICT initiatives & social media for fisheriesdevelopment

Orientation on fisheries entrepreneurshipdevelopment

Public Private Partnership – initiatives in fisheriesdevelopment

Work ethics & soft skills.

Dr. M. Vijay Gupta, World Food Prize Laureate handled asession on Overview & Status of Fisheries Extension inthe country – Issues & Challenges. He listed out theExtension strategies needed for fisheries development.

Dr. M.A. Kareem, Deputy Director and Faculty fromMANAGE; Dr. V.V. Sugunan, Sr. Consultant; Dr.Radheyshyam, Sr. Consultant; Dr. R. Suresh, Sr.Consultant; Mr. Pranjal Sharma, Consultant and

29


Ms S. Glory Swarupa from NFDB handled the sessions.Guest speakers from NIRD&PR, NAARM and College ofFisheries, Mangalore were also invited for specific topics.On June 30th the trainees visited NFDB and interacted withthe Officials.

Participants during interaction with Officials at NFDB,Hyderabad

The participants were taken on a field visit to M/S AnjaliAquaponics, belonging to Shri Bh. Vishwanadha Raju, atGundedu village, Mahabubnagar district, Telangana State,where they were exposed to various integrated farmingmodels and innovative practices. They had lot of interactionand discussion with Shri Raju and they expressed that thelearning will help them in practicing better extensionmethodologies in dissemination of fisheries technologiesamong the farmers for the development of fisheries sector.

4.7 NFDB develops Module on ‘Role of Fisheries inRural Development’ for Students of PGDRDMCourse of NIRD&PR, Hyderabad

A one week Course Module on ‘Role of Fisheries in RuralDevelopment’ was developed by NFDB to be offered tothe students of Post-Graduate Diploma in RuralDevelopment Management (PGDRDM) of NIRD&PR,Rajendranagar, Hyderabad, for the 10th batch from 5 to 9July 2016. Dr. R. Suresh Sr. Consultant, HRD, NFDBcoordinated the Course Module. The batch comprised of43 students from India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Indonesia,Vietnam, Kenya, Nigeria, Sudan and Iran. The FisheriesCourse Module consisted of 10 sessions: An Overview offisheries Sector by Dr. S. Subramanyam; Marine Fisheriesin India by Dr. R. Suresh; Freshwater Aquaculture by Dr.Radheyshyam; Brackishwater Aquaculture and Maricultureby Dr. R. Suresh; Reservoir, Wetland and FloodplainFisheries by Shri Pranjal Sharma; Inland and MarineOrnamental Fisheries in India by Dr. Anna Mercy;Demographic and Socio-economic Structure of FishingCommunities by Dr. Ramachandra Bhata. The Studentsvisited NFDB on 8 July 2016 and were addressed by ShriK. N. Kumar, Chief Executive, NFDB; he explained therole of fisheries in rural development in the countryparticularly in coastal areas and the interventions requiredby the rural development professionals in fisheriesdevelopment. The performance of the students in the coursewas evaluated based on individual and group assignmentsand through examination. During interaction the studentsexpressed that the course gave them an opportunity tounderstand the fisheries sector and the development issuesfor which they thanked NFDB.

The 10thBbatch of PGDRDM Students of NIRD&PR atNFDB, Hyderabad

30


4.8 NFDB conducts Training Programme onFormulation & Analysis of Fisheries Projects

A five-day Training Programme on ‘Formulation &Analysis of Fisheries Projects’ was conducted by NFDBfrom 18 to 22 July 2016 at NIRD&PR, Rajendranagar,Hyderabad. Twenty three participants from Bihar,Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand andUttar Pradesh States and five NFDB Staff membersunderwent training.

The objective of the programme was to build the capacityof State Fisheries Department Officials in Fisheries ProjectFormulation & Analysis. Ms. S. Glory Swarupa,Consultant, HRD detailed about the training program; Dr.R. Suresh, Sr. Consultant, HRD highlighted the importanceof project appraisal and its relevance while submitting theproposals to NFDB for financial assistance. Dr.Radheyshyam briefed the areas to be identified for projectpreparation from the participating States.

The important topics covered during the training wereProject Cycle, General Principles of Project Preparation,Project Analysis, Fisheries Projects Preparation ReservoirFisheries Management Projects, Wetlands/ FloodplainsDevelopment Projects, Domestic Fish Marketing Projects,DPR Preparation, Selected DPRs of Fisheries Projects,Selected DPRs of NFDB Projects, and NFDB Schemesfor Fisheries Development. Practical sessions wereconducted on Excel package and data analysis. Dr. S.Subramanyam, Dr. V.V. Sugunan, Dr. Radheyshyam, Dr.R. Suresh, Sr. Consultants, Shri Pranjal Sharma and Ms S.Glory Swarupa, Consultants, NFDB, handled the sessions.Guest speakers from NIRD&PR, NAARM, CESS andCOF, Mangalore were also invited for specific topics.

A field visit to M/S Anjali Aquaponics, Gundedu village,Mahabubnagar district, Telangana State, was arranged. Theparticipants were given an opportunity to practice the dataanalysis for project preparation. On the last day of theprogram, group presentations were made on the fisheriesprojects and an interactive session was held at the NFDB.The participants gave a very good feedback and most ofthem rated the program as excellent. They opined that thelearning will help them in preparation of good projectproposals to avail the financial assistance from NFDB andother funding agencies as well. Shri K.N. Kumar, ChiefExecutive, NFDB distributed certificates to the trainees.

Participants of the training programme on ‘Formulation& Analysis of Fisheries Projects’ while at NFDB for aninteraction and to receive Certificates

4.9 Interactive meeting with Agencies undertakingMonitoring and Evaluation Studies held at NFDB

A Monitoring & Evaluation (M & E) Division wasconstituted in the NFDB to assess the impact of variousFisheries Development Projects launched with NFDBfinancial assistance by various implementing agenciesacross the country over the years. To take forward thisinitiative an Expression of Interest (EOI) was sought frominterested agencies in the country for undertaking third partyM & E studies. Six of them were short listed forempanelment, viz., Academy of Management Studies,Lucknow, AMC Research Group Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi,TERI, New Delhi, NAARM, Hyderabad, NPC, Hyderabadand CIFRI, Barrakpore. A one-day interactive meeting withrepresentatives from the six agencies was held on 23 June2016 at NFDB Hyderabad.

31


The Chief Executive, NFDB addressing the representativesof the Agencies shortlisted for undertaking Monitoring &Evaluation studies

Dr. S. Subrahmanyam, Senior Consultant (M&E), NFDBwelcomed the participants and presented the frameworkfor the M & E Studies. Shri K. N. Kumar, Chief Executive,NFDB in his remarks expressed the need for M & E ofSchemes implemented by NFDB. He opined that thereshould be a standard format for conducting such studies.Dr. Utpal Kumar Sar, Executive Director (Tech), whilewelcoming the participants outlined the NFDB activitiesand scope of M & E work in general. The major pointsdecided on the basis of mutual agreement are as follows:

(i) M & E studies will be conducted under three broadcomponents namely Intensive Aquaculture in Ponds (IAP),Reservoir Fisheries Development (RFD) and DomesticMarketing (DM), as 75% of the total funds expended bythe NFDB fall under these three components.

(ii) All the empanelled agencies have to conduct a RapidAssessment Study (RAS) within a set time limit. Underthe RAS each agency has to study projects pertaining to allthe three components.

(iii) Each agency would be assigned five States forconducting M & E studies by considering their experienceand resource availability. Twelve States were identified asa sample for the studies and it was decided to assign twoStates to each agency in the first phase.

(iv) Details of all the activities and schemes identified forthe M & E study will be communicated to all the sixagencies through email/ post.

It was decided that each agency will submit a financialquote based on the sample data provided by the NFDB.There should be an agreement for the initial amountsanctioned to the agencies. Once the bid is finalized NFDBwill sign terms and conditions with the respective agency.

4.10 NFDB to partner with NETFISH to trainTraditional Marine Fisherfolk

The Network for Fish Quality Management and SustainableFishing (NETFISH) of the MPEDA is mandated to impartknowledge to fishermen/ fisherwomen/ processing workers,technicians, etc., in fish quality management, conservationof fish resources as well as sustainable fishing. NFDBproposes to partner with NETFISH to take forward thisinitiative further. Dr. Joice V. Thomas, Chief Executive,NETFISH and Dr. Asha Parameshwaran, Joint Director(QC), MPEDA, Kochi visited NFDB, Hyderabad on 13June 2016 to discuss with the Chief Executive, NFDB andHRD Team regarding NFDB financial assistance forconducting awareness and extension programmes amongcoastal fisherfolk of the country. Dr. Joice V. Thomas gavea presentation on the NETFISH activities. NFDB andNETFISH collaboration for conduct of awarenessprogrammes, training programmes and workshops towardssustainable fisheries, hygienic handling of fish, hygienicmanagement of fishing harbours and landing centres, valueaddition of fish especially by coastal fisherwomen werediscussed during the meeting.

Dr. Joice V. Thomas, Chief Executive, NETFISH andDr. Asha Parameshwaran, Joint Director (QC), MPEDA,making a presentation and interacting with Officials atNFDB, Hyderabad

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4.11 National Level Committee Meets to DevelopGuidelines for Cage Culture in Inland Water Bodies

A National Level Committee was constituted to DevelopGuidelines for Cage Culture in Inland Water Bodies. TheFirst Meeting was held at NFDB, Hyderabad on 14 June2016. The meeting was attended by Dr V V Sugunan, SeniorConsultant, NFDB, Hyderabad (Chairman); Dr. P.Jayasankar, Director CIFA (Member); Dr. N. Sarangi,Former Director CIFA (Member); Shri Johnson D’Cruz,Project Manager, Marine Finfish Hatchery Project RajivGandhi Centre for Aquaculture (Member), Dr. Utpal KumarSar, Executive Director NFDB (Member Secretary) andDr. Bimal Kinkar Chand, Executive Director NFDB(Special Invitee).

Dr Sugunan (Chairman) briefed the Committee about thetask before it and the national importance of enclosureaquaculture. He made a brief presentation on the status ofpen and cage culture practices being followed in India andexplained their scope and relevance. He also provided anaccount on some recent development that have a bearingon production and productivity of inland water bodies. Hefurther emphasized the need to ensure environmentalsustainability and equity while formulating nationalguidelines for cage culture as a driver for growth inaquaculture. He also explained to the Members the mandateof the Committee i.e., formulation of guidelines forpracticing cage culture and allied activities including penculture in inland open water bodies like reservoirs, lakesand floodplain wetlands. Dr. P. Jayasankar underlined threemain aspects of cage culture viz., technical, administrative,environmental. Identifying ‘open access’ as one of the mainproblems, he stressed the need for a clear leasing policyand legislative support for promotion of cage culture. Theother Members also gave their inputs. The Committeereviewed the present status of cage culture activity in thecountry, agreed on the components to be included in theGuidelines and resolved to collate and synthesize allavailable information on the environmental sustainabilityand equity aspects. Committee decided to develop adviceon environmental impacts through an intensive effort togather and process the information through a brainstormingby all known experts on the subject and to finalize thecomprehensive guidelines at the earliest.

The Committee met again on 30 July 2016 at the ICAR-Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute, the Institutewhere most of the research on cage culture has taken place.

In this Meeting the following scientists participated: Dr SD Tripathi, Former Director CIFE Mumbai, Dr V VSugunan, Senior Consultant NFDB Hyderabad, Dr B KDas, Director, CIFRI Barrackpore, Dr B C Jha, FormerHead of Division CIFRI Barrackpore, Dr V R Suresh, Headof Division CIFRI Barrackpore, Dr Uttam Sarkar, Head ofDivision CIFRI Barrackpore, Dr D Panda CIFABhubaneswar, Dr M A Hassan, Dr Aftabuddin, Dr K MSandhya, Dr A K Das, Dr. A. K. Bera, Mr. P Mishal, Mr.Vikash Kumar, Ms. Gunjan Karnatak, Mr. D. K. Meena,Mrs. Suman Kumari and Dr. Lianthuamluia all from CIFRI,Barrackpore.

National Level Committee Meeting to formulate Guidelineson Cage Culture held at ICAR-CIFRI, Barrackpore, WestBengal, Chaired by Dr. V.V. Sugunan, Sr. Consultant (Tech),NFDB

The outcome of the deliberations made by the experts onthe subject and the efforts of the Members of the NationalLevel Committee has been the First Interim Report onGuidelines for Cage Culture in Inland Open Water Bodiesof India. These Guidelines have since been published bythe NFDB, Hyderabad, and uploaded to the Website.

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Booklet on Guidelines for Cage Culture published by theNFDB and put on Website

4.12 NFDB constituted Technical ExpertsCommittee Screens Technology UpgradationProject Proposals

The Technical Experts Committee (TEC), constituted byNFDB for the purpose of screening new TUP proposalsmet on 17 June 2016 at NFDB, Hyderabad. Dr A G Ponniah(Chair), Dr A K Sahoo (Member) and Dr V V Sugunan(Member Secretary) attended the meeting. Dr V R Suresh(Member) could not attend.

Principal Investigators of nine projects were invited topresent their projects, but only seven projects werepresented by the respective PIs or their representatives:

1. Sustainable livelihood promotion through creationof model village for murrel seed production inCentral and Upper Brahmaputra valley of Assam:Submitted by College of Fisheries (AssamAgricultural University), Raha, Nagaon, Assam;Presented by Dr Bipul Phukan.

2. Dissemination of breeding and culture technologyof Ompok bimaculatus in West Bengal: Submittedby Rahara Centre of Central Institute of FreshwaterAquaculture, West Bengal; Presented by Dr P PChakrabarti.

3. Fish Pond Health Card for strengthening the existingscientific fish culture system of Assam: Submittedby College of Fisheries (Assam AgriculturalUniversity), Raha, Nagaon, Assam; Presented by DrRajdeep Dutta.

4. Optimization of aerators use to reduce productioncost of shrimp under different brackishwater farmingsystems: Submitted by Central Institute ofBrackishwater Aquaculture, Chennai; Presented byDr M Jayanthi.

5. Livelihood promotion through integrated Pig-Horticulture-Fish Farming system in Nagaon andMorigaon districts of Assam: Submitted by Collegeof Fisheries (Assam Agricultural University), Raha,Nagaon, Assam; Presented by Dr Koustab Bhagabati.

6. Construction of Brood Bank for small indigenousspecies at Gauhati University: Submitted by GauhatiUniversity, Assam; Presented by Dr DandadharSarma.

7. Development of Breeding and Larval rearingprotocol of Channa barca: Submitted by GauhatiUniversity, Assam; Presented by Dr DandadharSarma.

8. Livelihood Enhancement of poor fisher families ofNagaon and Morigaon districts of Assam throughdemonstration of hygienically prepared traditionalfermented fish products (SHIDAL): Submitted byCollege of Fisheries (AAU), Raha, Nagaon, Assam.

9. Exploring Possibilities of Production and Marketingof Value-added Fish Products for LivelihoodsGeneration in Assam: Submitted by College ofFisheries (AAU), Raha, Nagaon, Assam.

10. Technology upgradation for seed production ofbutter catfish, Ompok bimaculatus: Submitted by DrBasavraja, Fisheries College, Mangalore, Karnataka.

Of the above ten, Projects at Sl. No. 1, 2, 4 and 6 wereconsidered for support provided they are revised andresubmitted with necessary modification as recommendedby the TEC.

4.13 National Consultation on Artificial Reefsorganized at NFDB, Hyderabad

A National Consultation on Artificial Reefs (ARs) was heldat NFDB, Hyderabad on 20 July 2016 with an objective to

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explore the possibilities of promoting Artificial Reefs as ameans of enhancing marine fisheries ecosystems. Eightinvited delegates besides officials from Dept. of Fisheriesof States and NFDB participated. Dr V V Sugunan, SeniorConsultant, NFDB briefed the meeting on the background,objectives and expected outputs of the Consultation. ShriK N Kumar, Chief Executive NFDB, while welcoming thedelegates, stressed on the need to ensure that anydevelopment plan based on Artificial Reefs should focuson benefits to fishers in terms of their livelihoodenhancement and income generation. He also emphasizedthe importance of avoiding conflicts among differentstakeholders while pursuing this path. NFDB can considersupporting schemes only if they conform to the abovementioned criteria.

The invited delegates made presentations to share theirexperience:

(1) Dr. M. Kasim, Principal Scientist (Rtd), Central MarineFisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) Chennai, elaboratedthe biological principles of Artificial Reefs and explainedthe processes of colonization and succession of differentcommunities of organisms on the AR substrata. He alsoemphasized the role of ARs in conserving the biodiversityin coastal ecosystems and augment benefits to the fishers.

Dr. M. Kasim, Principal Scientist (Rtd), CMFRI, Chennai(3rd from right), making a presentation on Artificial Reefs

(2) Dr J K Patterson Edwardhas shared the experience ofSuganthi Devadasan Marine Research Institute (SDMRI)on installing Artificial Reefs in the Gulf of Mannar, TamilNadu.

(3) Dr V Vivekanandan, Advisor, South Indian Federationof Fishermen’s Societies (SIFFS) shared his experience inthe southwest coast of India and explained how he worked

with the local village communities in the process ofdeploying ARs. He also explained the background andhistory of Artificial Reefs in India, especially in southernparts of Kerala coast.

(4) Dr Joe Kizhakkudan, Principal Scientist, CMFRIdescribed ARs as an effective tool for communityparticipation in coastal resource utilization and habitatmanagement, based on his experience on disseminating theAR technology among fishing communities under an IFAD-funded scheme in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.

(5) Shri M Rajeev & Shri R Suresh Kumar, representingthe Kerala State Coastal Area Development Corporation(KSCADC) explained the efforts of their organization topopularize Artificial Reefs for enhanced fish productionin Kerala.

(6) Dr Mohammed Koya, Senior Scientist, CMFRI talkedon the prospects of Artificial Reefs in Gujarat andLakshadweep islands.

The Panel Discussion led by Shri K N Kumar, Dr V VSugunan, Dr B K Chand, Dr M. Kasim, Dr V Vivekanandanand Dr Patterson Edward examined various options to moveforward in using Artificial Reefs as a means to benefit smallscale fishers and conserve the marine ecosystems.

Panel discussion during the concluding session of NationalConsultation on Artificial Reefs

There was a general agreement that artificial reefs can playa role in enhancing the livelihoods and income of small-scale and traditional fishers. There is a need for furtherassessment of the potential for its expansion and possibleimpacts while scaling up. There was also a very clearagreement among the group members that benefits ofArtificial Reefs are not limited to fisheries enhancement,

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as it can also contribute significantly to other ecosystemsservices such as biodiversity conservation, water cleansing,habitat protection/creation, etc.

Artificial reefs cannot add a large quantity of fish to theproduction basket and its role is mainly to enhance benefitsfor the small-scale fishers who are getting marginalizeddue to stock depletion and the presence of highlymechanized craft and gear that remove fish in largequantities. ARs need to be pursued in this context. A majorpre-requisite for successful deployment of this technologyis a strong governance platform at village level. Asexperience shows, well-organized and homogenouscommunities have a good track record of using this as auseful tool to benefit small-scale fishers. Nevertheless,taking into account the clear and persisting demand fromsmall-scale coastal fishers in Kerala, Tamil Nadu andAndhra Pradesh to expand this activity, it was feltworthwhile for NFDB to support this activity in a limitedmanner. It was also felt necessary to develop an artificialreef management protocol that can be used by villages intheir ‘Village Reef Plan’. This will also provide guidanceto agencies that would want to promote the activity. CMFRIcan take the lead in preparing an “Artificial ReefFabrication, Installation and Management Protocol(ARFIMP)” by organizing a write-shop in which all expertsshall be involved. NFDB could fund and facilitate write-shop, skill development and exposure visits.

Participants of the National Consultation on Artificial Reefsheld at NFDB, Hyderabad

4.14 Writeshop on ‘Best Management Practices forFreshwater Ornamental Fish Production’ held atNFDB

During the ‘National Consultation on Ornamental Fish’conducted at NFDB, Hyderabad on 27 and 28 April 2016,the need was felt for a comprehensive document on the

Best Management Practices (BMPs) and Code of Conduct(CoC) in Ornamental Fish Industry. It was proposed toorganize a workshop under the leadership of Dr. Atul KumarJain to develop the BMPs. Accordingly, a three-day‘Writeshop on Best Management Practices for FreshwaterOrnamental Fish Production’ was organized from 25 to 27July 2016 at NFDB, Hyderabad.

Shri K.N. Kumar, Chief Executive, addressing the BMPsWriteshop Team at NFDB

The Writeshop Team comprised of Dr. Atul Kumar Jain,Director, OFTRI, Udaipur, Rajasthan, Dr. G. Gopakumar,Emeritus Scientist, CMFRI, Vizhinjam, Kerala, Dr. AnnaMercy, Retd. Professor, College of Fisheries, KUFOS,Kerala, Dr. V.P. Saini, Professor, College of Fisheries,MPUAT, Udaipur, Mr. Joy Joseph, Ornamental FishFarmer, Kerala, Mr. Hansen K. Mathew, Ornamental FishBreeder, Kerala, Dr. Shivkumar Magada, Professor, Collegeof Fisheries, KVAFSU, Mangalore, Karnataka, Dr. VaneetInder Kaur, Assistant Professor, College of Fisherie,GADVASU, Ludhiana, Punjab, Dr. K.N. Mohanta,Principal Scientist, CIFA, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, Mr.Yasesh Sha, Aquatic Biologist, SGU, Surat, Gujarat andMr. Dasari Bhoomaiah, Asst. Chief Technical Officer,CIFE, Mumbai.

They were assisted by the NFDB Team comprising of Dr.V.V. Sugunan, Senior Consultant (Technical), Dr. BimalKinkar Chand and Dr. Utpal Kumar Chand, ExecutiveDirectors (Tech), Dr. Sanjay Sarma Senior Executive(Tech), Smt. A.V. Madhuri, Executive (Tech) and Dr. M.Vishwas Rao, Junior Consultant (Fisheries). At the end ofthe three-day Writeshop the Draft Document on BMPs wasready.

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The BMPs Writeshop Team with the Chief Executive andother Officials at NFDB, Hyderabad

During the next one month the contents were reviewed bythe Editors and the 170-page Final Document on BMPsfor Freshwater Ornamental Fish Production was submittedto the Chief Executive, NFDB on the 23 August 2016 byDr. Atul Kumar Jain.

The Chief Executive, NFDB receives from Dr. Atul KumarJain the Final Document on BMPs for FreshwaterOrnamental Fish Production

The NFDB in turn fine-tuned the whole document and,with Editorial Inputs from Dr. K. Ravindranath, SeniorConsultant (Tech), published the Book (iv+171pp) in themonth of September 2016. Stakeholders desirous ofobtaining a copy of the book may write to the NFDB.

The Book entitled ‘Best Management Practices forFreshwater Ornamental Fish Production’ published by theNFDB

4.15 Review of NFDB-funded Project on Breedingand Culture of different stocks of Fenneropenaeusindicus for developing a Genetically ImprovedStrain

A meeting to review the status of ongoing NFDB-fundedproject on ‘Upgradation of Breeding and CultureTechnology of Indian White Shrimp F. indicus throughStock Evaluation and Culture Demonstration’ was held on18 August 2016 at Central Institute of BrackishwaterAquaculture (ICAR-CIBA), Chennai. Under the projectdifferent genetic stocks of the indigenous species of shrimpFenneropenaeus indicus (H. Milne Edwards, 1837) (=Penaeus indicus) are being evaluated for development of agenetically improved strain. The meeting was attended byDr Vijayan, Director, CIBA, Scientists involved in theproject on F. indicus, representatives from the FarmersAssociation, Hatchery Owners Association and the Feedindustry. NFDB was represented by Dr V. V. Sugunan,Senior Consultant and Dr Utpal Kumar Sar, ExecutiveDirector.

Initiating the discussion, Dr Vijayan gave an account ofthe progress made under the project in which the samplesfrom different location along both east and west coasts ofIndia were collected. These are being bred in captivity andreared in order to assess their performances in terms ofgrowth, reproduction and disease resistance. The work isprogressing as per schedule. The outputs form this project

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will be the main inputs for any selective breedingprogramme to develop an improved strain of F. indicus infuture. All participants including the farmers’, hatcheries’and feed companies’ representatives agreed on the needfor a genetically improved indigenous shrimp species. Themeeting unanimously agreed on F. indicus as the potentialcandidate shrimp species to begin with for selectivebreeding.

Dr Vijayan explained the various steps involved indeveloping a genetically improved strain using the selectivebreeding tools, namely creation of bio-secure infrastructurefacilities for quarantine, holding stocks, breeding, hatching,rearing, nucleus breeding centres, brooder multiplicationcentres, etc.

He further explained that selective breeding is a longduration project and an expensive proposition. The totalestimated cost involved in the whole process would be Rs.192 Crore. The meeting was of the view that a singleInstitute or Organization will not be able to either invest orshoulder the responsibility of undertaking such a project.The ideal way is to take up the work on a consortium modeinvolving Government Organizations (ICAR, MPEDA,DAHD&F, NFBD) with limited participation from selectedprivate players. CIBA having the scientific know how onthe job will be the technology provider and the otherorganizations can contribute according to their capacitiesand strengths.

To move forwards, on this concept, there is a need forserious consultation among the potential participants(Institutions) who are willing to take part in the process.On behalf of NFDB, Dr Sugunan and Dr Utpal Kumar Saroffered to arrange a forum for the initial consultation toconceive/ start/ develop the process.

‘The Indian Prawn’ Fenneropenaeus (Penaeus) indicus (H. Milne Edwards, 1837) [Source: http://www.indiamart.com/jgm-exports/white-prawn.html]

4.16 NFDB funded Technology UpgradationProjects Reviewed

A meeting was conducted at NFDB Hyderabad on 30August 2016 to review the progress and possible impact ofthe Technology Upgradation Projects (TUP) funded byNFDB. An Experts Committee comprising Dr S D Tripathi,Former Director CIFE Mumbai; Dr A G Ponniah, FormerDirector, CIBA; Dr A P Sharma, Professor, G B PantUniversity of Agricultural Sciences, Pantnagar; Dr FerozKhan, Bangalore Centre of CIFRI and Dr V V Sugunan,Senior Consultant, NFDB reviewed the projects. Allongoing and just completed TUP projects were includedin the review process. Principal Investigators of 15 suchprojects were invited to make presentations.

Experts Committee members and Principal Investigatorsof NFDB funded projects at the TUP Review Meeting atNFDB, Hyderabad

Eight participants among themselves presented the progressin respect of nine projects:

(1) Development of Better Management Practices forPangasianodon hypophthalamus (Stripped Catfish)Farming in India and Survey on Status of PangasFarming in India

(2) Establishment of Hatchery and Seed ProductionFacilities of Pangasianodon hypophthalmus (StripedCatfish) in Andhra Pradesh at Penamaluru, nearVijayawada by CIFA. Dr Seshagiri from theVijayawada Centre of CIFA presented the two projects.

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(3) Enhancing Aquaculture Productivity & Fish FarmerLivelihood in Cauvery Delta Region, Thanjavur, TamilNadu. Dr Senthil Kumar, from the Tamil NaduFisheries University presented the project.

(4) Fisheries Enhancement in Maharashtra (Thane district)through Seed Production and Pen Culture in RiversVaitarna and Bhatsa for Livelihoods and NutritionalSecurity among Tribal Community. Ms (Dr) NeelamSaharan, Principal Scientist CIFE presented the project.

(5) Risk and Benefit Assessment of an Illegally IntroducedFish species Pacu – Piaractus brachypomus in Indiaduring 2012-2013 by NBFGR, Lucknow Dr Pradhan,Senior Scientist and Principal Investigator, NBFGR,Lucknow and Dr P P Chakrabarti & Dr Seshagiri ofCIFA presented the project.

(6) Development of Low-cost Farming Practice ofRainbow Trout in Central Himalayas, DCFR, Nainital,Uttarakhand. Dr N. N. Pandey of DCFR presented theproject.

(7) Upgradation of Breeding and Culture Technology ofIndian White Shrimp F. indicus Through StockEvaluation and Culture Demonstration. CIBA,Chennai.

(8) Technology Refinement of Nutrient-dense NurseryRearing and Grow-out of L. vannamei in Periphytonand Bio-floc Based System. Dr A. Panigrahi from CIBApresented the two projects.

(9) Evaluation and Refinement of Indigenous AutomaticFeed Dispensers for Shrimp Farming. Dr (Mrs) NilaRekha from CIBA presented this new project.

The following six projects funded by NFDB were notrepresented:

1. Genetic Conservation of Mahseer Fish Through liveGene Banking-Stocking of Fingerlings in IndriyaniRiver and the Reservoirs in the vicinity (MahseerHatchery) – Maharashtra (CIFE)

2. Community based reservoir fisheries management inDimbhe reservoir (CIFE)

3. Development of community participated enhancedfisheries management model for the Chaur(Floodplains) and Maun (Ox-bow lakes) (CIFE)

4. Ornamental Fish Culture in Cages (CIFE)

5. Brood Stock Development of Amur Carp- FRIC,KVAFSU, Bidar, Karnataka (KVAFSU)

6. Studies and refinement of live fish carrier system formass transportation of table fish, brooders, fingerlingsand aquarium fishes Ludhiana, Punjab (CIPHET)

The meeting suggested that proper reports on completedprojects are needed by NFDB to ascertain whether theoutputs generated could lead to the expected outcome andimpact as envisaged at the conceptual stage. Properassessment of the final results obtained under TUP projectwill be helpful both for the recipient Institutes and NFDBalike to plan their respective future activities. We have aresponsibility to assess to what extent our investment hashelped the Institutes and the nation at large.

4.17 Meeting to finalize Outreach Projects on Cobiaand Pompano held at NFDB

A meeting of the project proponents of the two OutreachProjects under consideration of NFDB was held on 5 August2016. The two projects are:

1. Enhancing production of farmed Cobia(Rachycentron canadum) through the establishmentof broodbank, hatcheries, nursery units and farms atselected locations.

2. Enhancing production of farmed Silver Pompano(Trachinotus blochii) through the establishment ofbroodbank, hatcheries, nursery units and farms atselected locations.

The participating Scientists from Central Marine FisheriesResearch Institute and the representatives from the Statesviz., Kerala, Goa, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Orissaparticipated in the meeting. The two project proposals werediscussed and a road map was chalked out to proceedfurther.

Dr M V Gupta, who assisted NFDB in conceiving theOutreach Projects and also advised at various stages of theirdevelopment, participated in the discussions, apart fromShri K N Kumar, Chief Executive NFDB, Dr V V Sugunan,Dr S Subramanian, and Dr K Ravindranath, SeniorConsultants of NFDB. Dr. Gupta said that Outreach Projectsshould be developed with the aim of filling the gap betweenthe technologies and their adoption.

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Dr M V Gupta chairing the meeting to finalize OutreachProjects on Cobia and Silver Pompano (above); DrGopakumar making a presentation on Pompano (middle)and Dr Abdul Nazar making a presentation on Cobia(below) at NFDB, Hyderabad

Dr G Gopakumar, Emeritus Scientist, CMFRI outlined thesalient features of the two projects: (i) CMFRI will createbroodbank facilities for Cobia and Pompano at itsMandapam and Vizhinjam Centres respectively. (ii) Theparticipating States will renovate their existing nurseryfarms in their respective States, receive the early larvaeform the broodbanks, rear them into fingerlings and supplyto farmers. (iii) The farmers will grow the fingerlings toproduce marketable size fish.

Dr Abdul Nazar, Principal Scientist, CMFRI presented thedetails of the project on Cobia (Rachycentron canadum),which envisaged creation of a re-circulatory system to rearbroodstock of Cobia at the Mandapam Centre of CMFRI.The facility will use controlled temperature andillumination so that under right photo-periodicity, roundthe year production of fertilized eggs will be possible. TheParticipating States will be supplied with early larvae forrearing in their nurseries. A total of 96 million eggs will beproduced and supplied to States at almost no mortalityduring transport. The States can produce 77 millionfingerlings to be supplied to private farms run by SHGsand other beneficiaries to be identified by the FisheriesDepartments of States. About 18,500 tonnes of fish will beproduced annually at the end of the project. The total costof the project is estimated as: CMFRI component Rs1,111.73 lakh and States component 1.25 lakh each.

Cobia, Rachycentron canadum (Linnaeus, 1766) [Source:NOAA’s Fisheries Collection, Photo: Jorge Alarcon or Dr.Daniel Benetti]

Dr M K Anil, Principal Scientist CMFRI presented thedetails of the project on Silver Pompano (Trachinotusblochii) which envisaged creation of a re-circulatory systemto rear broodstock of Silver pompano at the VizhinjamCentre of CMFRI.The Participating States will be suppliedfertilized eggs/ early larvae for rearing in their nurseries. Atotal of 96 million eggs will be produced and supplied toStates at almost no mortality during transport. The Statescan produce 20 million fingerlings to be supplied to privatefarms run by SHGs and other beneficiaries to be identifiedby the States. About 18,000 tonnes of fish will be producedannually at the end of the project. The total cost of theproject is estimated as: CMFRI component Rs1,050.0 lakhand States component 1.25 lakh each.

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Silver or Snubnose Pompano, Trachinotus blochii(Lacépède, 1801) [Source: www.fishbase.org; Photo:Artaev, O., Sri Lanka]

Representatives from Kerala, Maharashtra, Orissa, Goa andAndhra Pradesh presented the status of mariculture in theirrespective States, especially with regard to culture of Cobiaand Pompano.

Dr Gupta suggested that both the projects can initiallyoperate at a smaller scale and if required they can be scaledup under a second phase. Accordingly, it was decided tolimit the capacity of Cobia and Pompano broodstockfacilities from 96 million eggs to 48 million eggs each.The requirement for broodbank facilities and the costtherein need to be re-worked accordingly. Similar scaledown will be made on the States’ facilities for fingerlingsrearing. It was decided that the Project Leaders fromCMFRI and Representatives from the Participating Stateswill come with all relevant details to NFDB during August2016 to prepare the DPR of the two projects.

4.18 Detailed Project Proposals on Cobia andPompano – preparation, scrutiny and submission

A two-day meeting on preparation of DPRs of the twoprojects entitled “Enhancing Production of Farmed Cobiathrough the Establishment of Broodbank and Supply ofLarvae to States for Seed Production” and “EnhancingProduction of Farmed Pompano through the Establishmentof Broodbank and Supply of Larvae to States for SeedProduction” was held on 24 and 25 August 2016 at NFDBHyderabad. Dr S. Subramanyam, Sr. Consultant (M&E),NFDB explained the importance of preparing the projectsin DPR format.

The following Scientists and State Fisheries Officialsparticipated in the DPRs preparation: CMFRI: Dr. A.K.

Abdul Nazar, Principal Scientist; Dr. M.K. Anil, SeniorScientist; Dr. Jaya Kumar, Senior Scientist; Dr. Anikuttan,Scientist. DoF: Sh. Anil Kumar P., Assistant Director, DoF,Kerala; Sh. M.K. Mondal’ Joint Director, DoF, WestBengal; Sh. Antony Xavier, Deputy Director, DoF, TamilNadu; Sh. Lal Mohammad, Assistant Director, DoF, AndhraPradesh.

Meeting on preparation of DPRs of the two projects onCobia and Pompano held at NFDB

On 26 September 2016 Dr VV Sugunan, Senior Consultants(Tech), NFDB, visited the Vizhinjam Centre of CMFRIwhere the proposed project on Silver Pompano (Trachinotusblochii) is to be implemented. The suitability of landearmarked for creating the Pompano broodbank facilitieswas assessed and laboratory/ infrastructure facilitiesavailable at the Centre for implementing the proposedproject were also reviewed. The Centre has adequatefacilities and manpower to implement the project.

On 29 September 2016, the NFDB’s Project ScreeningCommittee (PSC) examined the proposals and DPRspertaining to the two new TUPs: (i) on Cobia, with an outlayof Rs. 813.80 lakh, and (ii) on Silver Pompano, with anoutlay of Rs. 842.99 lakh. The two project proposals withdue recommendations of the PSC were submitted to theMinistry for consideration, approval and sanction underthe Central Sector Scheme (CSS) on Blue Revolution.

4.19 Consultative Meetings on Aquaculture CropInsurance held at NFDB

A Consultative Meeting on Aquaculture Crop Insurancewas held at NFDB, Hyderabad on 10 August 2016 with themembers of Prawn Farmers Federation of India (PFFI), AllIndia Shrimp Hatchery Association (AISHA),representatives of Insurance Companies, GovernmentOrganizations, Commissioner of Fisheries, Andhra Pradesh,CIBA, CAA and MPEDA-NaCSA.

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Shri. K. N. Kumar, Chief Executive, NFDB introduced thetopic and said that there is a need for Insurance Policy forAquaculture Sector as 80% of Aqua-farmers are small andmarginal. Dr. M. Persis, Senior Executive (Tech), NFDBmade a brief presentation on the present status ofAquaculture Sector, the need for Aquaculture CropInsurance, the efforts made so far by NFDB, the constraintsinvolved and the issues to be addressed.

The Insurance Companies were requested to present theirexperiences, views and difficulties in Aquaculture CropInsurance; members of PFFI and AISHA were requestedto present their concerns, while Commissioner of Fisheriesand CAA, CIBA, MPEDA & NaCSA were requested tointervene as and when required to address the concernsexpressed by Aqua-farmers and Insurers. ICICI Lombardhas made a brief presentation on the efforts being made bythem on Aquaculture Crop Insurance in Mumbai to beimplemented from next crop season. Commissioner ofFisheries, Andhra Pradesh informed that the data on all theaquaculture farms of A.P will be available on-line by theend of August 2016. The data on CAA RegisteredAquaculture Farms for P. monodon & L. vannamei, andinformation on the work done so far by NFDB onAquaculture Crop Insurance were given to all theparticipants.

After the day-long deliberations the following pointsemerged, for taking further steps:

1. A single premium coverage-rate – to include allrisks and all diseases for both P. monodon & L.vannamei faced by Aqua-farmers combining bothbasic & comprehensive coverage should be workedout.

2. Prawn Farmers Federation of India to furnish allthe risks to be covered to NFDB before 20 August2016 to enable NFDB to discuss the same withInsurance Companies on 23 August 2016.

3. Existence of multiple registration authorities –

a. CAA: from Sea Coast High Tide Level (HTL)to 2 km inland and water of 5 ppt salinity.

b. State Govts.: 2 km from HTL to areas of watersalinity 0.5 ppt, i.e., all Inland AquacultureFarms.

c. MPEDA: Enrollment of farms above 2 ha forBrackishwater Farms.

Consultative Meeting on Aquaculture Crop Insurance heldon 10 August 2016 at NFDB, Hyderabad. Shri K.N. Kumar,Chief Executive, NFDB and Shri Rama Sankar Naik,Commissioner of Fisheries, Andhra Pradesh (above);Representatives from Aquaculture Industry, CIBA, CAA,MPEDA-NaCSA and Insurance Companies; Dr. M. Persis,Sr. Executive (Tech), NFDB, making a presentation; andgroup photo of participants

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Insurance companies were asked to come up withtheir views on whether they would have anyproblem with this arrangement of multipleregistrations.

4. Complexity in determination of cost of Production– it was felt that the services of NaCSA and theirdata base can be utilized (on cost basis).

5. Period of Insurance – it was agreed that Days ofCulture (DOC) is one of the constraints andrecommended for working out a model on fortnightbasis (6 fortnights for Direct Stocking & 4fortnights for Stocking from a Nursery) forconsideration.

6. Salvage Value – on distress harvest due to diseaseor any other cause to be determined.

7. The Policy format and procedure to be simplified.

8. The Claim procedures to be simple and practicalfor farmers.

9. Claims certifying authority and procedure to beworked out and made simple.

10. Protocol (process) on the Aquaculture CropInsurance Policy to be worked out (simple, clearand practical).

11. Farmers are to be requested to be responsible inmaintaining the farm data on inputs, water quality,feed and health management.

12. Government Subsidy for insurance coverageceiling to be a maximum of 2 ha/farmer.

13. National Insurance Co. Ltd., New India AssuranceCo. Ltd., United Insurance Company Ltd., OrientalInsurance Company Ltd., ICICI Lombard Co. Ltd.,IFFCO TOKIO GTC, Reliance G.I.Co. Ltd.,expressed their willingness to join the effort afterdiscussing with their competent authorities.

14. All the participants were requested to go throughthe base data furnished to them and come up withconcrete, practical action points to be included inthe envisaged Aquaculture Crop Insurance Policy.

15. A meeting with all the interested InsuranceCompanies was fixed for the 23 August 2016 atNFDB, Hyderabad to work out the modalities onthe Policy details, like scope of coverage, rate of

premium, etc. They were requested to come withthe consent of their competent authorities to take acall on the Policy details.

Follow-up Meeting on Aquaculture Crop Insurance:

The follow-up meeting with representatives of InsuranceCompanies was held on 23 August 2016 at NFDB,Hyderabad, chaired by Shri K. N. Kumar, Chief Executive.Representatives of three Insurance companies namely,oriental Insurance Company, New India Assurance Co. Ltd.,and ICICI Lombard attended the meeting:

1. Dr. Venkatacharyulu, Regional Manager, OrientalInsurance Company Ltd., Hyderabad

2. Shri G. Pushpa Rao, Regional Manager, New IndiaAssurance Co. Ltd., Hyderabad

3. Shri C. Sreehari, Sr. Div. Manager, New IndiaAssurance Co. Ltd., Hyderabad

4. Shri P. Manmadha Rao, Manager, New India AssuranceCo. Ltd., Viskhapatnam

5. Shri Amen Manchanda, ICICI Lombard GIC Ltd.

6. Shri Srinivas Pabbaraju, ICICI Lombard GIC Ltd.

Follow-up Meeting on Aquaculture Crop Insurance heldon 23 August 2016, with Representatives of InsuranceCompanies, chaired by Shri K.N. Kumar, Chief Executive,NFDB, Hyderabad

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Half-a-day deliberations were held on the points to becovered in the draft Aquaculture Crop Insurance Policybased on the inputs furnished by Prawn Farmers Federationof India.

It was unanimously agreed upon by all the participants toinclude the following points:

a. Natural perils such as storms, floods, cyclones, etc.

b. Man-made: pollution, poisoning from externalsources, malicious acts of third parties.

c. Death due to depletion of dissolved oxygen(asphyxia) in the ponds caused by the vagaries ofweather and due to power failures/ breakdowns.

d. Summer-kills caused due to inclement weather.

e. All kinds of diseases caused by known andunknown pathogens of all types.

f. Option to cover crop up to break-even point:Usually 6 fortnights if stocking seeds (PLs) directlyin growout ponds brought from hatcheries or 4fortnights if juveniles are shifted from nurseries.

g. Crop Insurance cover can be split up fortnight-wiseto give farmers choice to get coverage to whicheverfortnight he feels needed for him.

h. The Aquaculture Farm can be accepted forInsurance only if the same is Registered/ Recordedat: (i) CAA, (ii) State Fisheries Department, (iii)MPEDA, (iv) NaCSA.

There was a debate on certain issues such as: developmentof a pre-insurance protocol; % of deductibles (Farmerswanted it at 10% while Insurance Companies at 20%);whether claims settlement should be based on SalvageValue or Inputs Cost; Insurance Coverage on total crop loss(80% and above) or 50% - 60% crop loss; selection ofponds; and whether aquaculture crop insurance is applicableto land owners or aqua-farmers; etc. The followingdecisions were taken:

1. NFDB to prepare a Pre-insurance Protocol inconsultation with Insurance Companies and PrawnFarmers.

2. The % of deductibles to be pegged at 15% inconsultation with IRDA.

3. Claims Settlement should be based on Input Costsand the same to be worked out by NFDB.

4. Insurance Coverage should be at 50%-60% of crop-loss and not on total crop-loss, i.e. 80% and above.

5. Choice of selection of ponds for insurance shouldbe given to farmers.

6. Since it is an Aquaculture Crop Insurance, theinsurance coverage should invariably be applicableto those who undertake aquaculture and not toabsentee land owners.

7. NFDB’s financial support of 50% premium amountfor Aquaculture Crop Insurance would be restrictedto 2 ha per farmer; however, the farmers can insurethe remaining ponds/ farm at his own cost.

8. The Premium to be @ 6.5% of the approved InputCosts.

9. Claims procedure to be simple, practical andrealistic.

It was concluded that after arriving at the Input Costs andpre-insurance protocol and claim procedure and getting theviews from Prawn Farmer Federation, the above issues areto be addressed to the CEOs/ CMDs of participant IRDARegistered Insurance Companies (both PSUs/Private).

4.20 NFDB sponsored Training Programme forAquapreneurs conducted at MANAGE, Hyderabad

A 13-day Training Programme for Aquapreneurs on‘Advances in Fisheries Technology and ExtensionManagement for Fisheries Development’ sponsored byNFDB was conducted by the National Centre forManagement of Agricultural Extension (MANAGE), from22 August to 3 September 2016 at Rajendranagar,Hyderabad. Dr. M.A. Kareem and Dr. Shahaji Pahnd ofMANAGE were the Course Coordinators. Twenty fourAquapreneurs participated. During the inaugural sessionMrs. V. Usha Rani, Director General, MANAGE and ShriK.N. Kumar, Chief Executive, NFDB, addressed theparticipants. Dr. MV. Gupta gave a presentation on Globaland National Perspective of Fisheries Development.

During the course of the Training Programme, Subjectmatter specialists created awareness among theparticipating Aquapreneurs on various advancedtechnologies and emerging business opportunities inMarine, Brackishwater, Freshwater, Integrated Farming,Ornamental Fisheries, Post-Harvest Processing and ValueAddition. Also, awareness was created about Business

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Incubation, Exports, Extension Methods, Public PrivatePartnership, Marketing Strategies, etc. Interactive sessionswere held with Successful Entrepreneurs. The Traineeswere taken on a 4-day Exposure Visit to places ofaquaculture interest in Krishna, West and East Godavaridistricts of Andhra Pradesh.

On the last three days, interactive sessions were held withBankers on topics such as: (i) Identification of suitablebusiness opportunity; (ii) Technical, financial and marketfeasibility of a project; and (iii) Bankable project reportpreparation. Also, an interactive session was held for themwith Officials at the NFDB on various activities and projectsundertaken by NFDB and the financial assistance that couldbe availed by aquapreneurs.

Participants of the Training Programme for Aquapreneurson a visit to NFDB (above), interactive session on aBankable Project (middle), with Chief Executive andTechnical Officers of NFDB (below)

4.21 Consultative Meeting on ‘Holistic FisheriesDevelopment of Islands’ held at NFDBOne-day Consultative Meeting on ‘Holistic FisheriesDevelopment of Islands’ was held on 8 September 2016 atNFDB, Hyderabad. The meeting was attended byCommissioners/ Directors/ Representatives of theDepartments of Fisheries, Govt. of States/ UTs ofAnadaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep Islands,Gujarat, Maharashtra and West Bengal. Experts fromICAR/ Govt. Research & Development Organizations suchas the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute(CMFRI), Cochin; Central Institute of BrackishwaterAquaculture (CIBA), Chennai; Rajiv Gandhi Centre forAquaculture (RGCA-MPEDA), Sirkali, Tamil Nadu;Central Island Agriculture Research Institute (CIARI), PortBlair; National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT),Chennai; Dept. of Ocean Studies & Marine Biology(DOSMB), Pondicherry University, participated.

The objective of the meeting was to prepare a Draft ConceptNote based on which a Detailed Project Report (DPR)would be prepared for Holistic Fisheries Development ofSelected Islands. The meeting was chaired by Shri K.N.Kumar, Chief Executive and attended by ExecutiveDirectors, Senior Executives (Technical) and Consultantsof NFDB.

In his opening remarks the Chief Executive said that Islandsdevelopment is now a priority under an initiative of theMinistry of Home Affairs (MHA), Govt. of India, and that36 Islands have been identified for holistic development.Of these, 14 Islands – 5 in Andaman & Nicobar (Smith,Long, Neil, Havelock and Little Andaman Islands), 5 inLakshadweep (Kadmat, Minicoy, Kalpeni, Chetlet andKiltan Islands), 2 in West Bengal (Sagar and PatibuniaIslands), 1 in Maharashtra ( Panju Island) and 1 in Gujarat(Alia Bet Island) – have been identified for FisheriesDevelopment.

Possible interventions for Fisheries Development in Islandsinclude:

(a) Construction of fishing harbours and fish landingcentres

(b) Mariculture and open sea cage culture

(c) Long lining and pole & line fishing

(d) Aquaculture in inundated waters

(e) Construction of hygienic fish markets andprocessing for value addition

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(f) Ornamental fisheries development

(g) Seaweed cultivation

(h) Introduction of mother/ carrier fishing vessels.

The participants discussed the potential and scope fortapping the resources around the Islands. Priority is to begiven for (i) Improving capture fisheries mainly for thedeep sea fishes like Tuna, Perches and allied resources,(ii) Exploring open sea cage culture, (iii) Seaweedcultivation, (iv) Ornamental fisheries, (v) Installing FishAggregating Devices (FADs) and Artificial Reefs (ARs),(vi) Hatchery and nursery for production of SPF seed ofcultivable species, (vii) Live bait fish production of Tunapole & line fishing, (viii) Multilevel multitrophicmariculture in surface or submerged cages, (ix) Mangrovebased eco-tourism, etc.

Four Sub-Groups were formed to discuss and prepare DraftConcept Notes which were then presented and deliberatedup on. It was resolved to communicate the Draft ConceptNotes to the States/ UTs/ Institutions for revision andrefinement. The final Concept Notes are to be submittedto the Ministry for approval. Subsequently Projects wouldbe prepared in a DPR format at NFDB and submitted tothe Ministry for sanction.

4.22 NFDB and MANAGE sign MOU

As part of the HRD Initiatives, the National FisheriesDevelopment Board (NFDB), Hyderabad signed aMemorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the NationalCentre for Management of Agricultural Extension(MANAGE), Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare,Govt. of India, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad, for conductingNFDB sponsored Training Programmes in FisheriesExtension. The MOU was signed by Mrs. V. Usha Rani,Director General, MANAGE and Shri K.N. Kumar, ChiefExecutive, NFDB, on 9 September 2016 at the NFDB,Hyderabad. Dr. Utpal Kumar Sar, Executive Director(Tech), Dr. R. Suresh, Sr. Consultant (HRD) and Ms. S.Glory Swarupa, Consultant (HRD), NFDB, were presenton the occasion.

MOU Documents being exchanged by Mrs. V. Usha Rani,Director General, MANAGE and Shri K.N. Kumar, ChiefExecutive, NFDBParticipants and Group Discussions at the ‘Consultative

Meeting on Holistic Fisheries Development of Islands’ atNFDB, Hyderabad

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5. Important Events

5.1 National Fish Farmers’ Day-2016 and NFDBFoundation Day observed at NFDB

July 10 has been declared as the National Fish Farmers’Day to commemorate the pioneering work done by Dr.Hiralal Chaudhuri. It was on 10th July 1957, the first successin induced breeding (Hypophysation) of Carps wasachieved in India at Angul in Odisha by Dr. HiralalChaudhuri under the guidance of Dr. K.H. Alikunhi, Head,‘Pond Culture Division’, CIFRI, Cuttack, Odisha (presentlyCIFA, Bhubaneswar). The spawn that was produced out ofthis experiment was successfully raised into fry and laterinto fingerling. This pioneering work over the years hasled to aquaplosion in the country principally through qualitymajor carp seed.

Also, it was on 10 July 2006 that NFDB was establishedand it is observed as NFDB Foundation Day. To mark boththe occasions a function was organized at NFDB in whichall the Officers and Staff of NFDB besides Officials fromthe Dept. of Fisheries, Fisherwomen SHG Members, etc.participated. Dr. M.V. Gupta, World Food Prize Laureateand Sunhak Peace Prize Laureate was the Chief Guest. ShriK. N. Kumar, Chief Executive, NFDB, recounted what theNFDB has done during the last 10 years and what it oughtto do next. Dr. Gupta recalled his own first assignment inLaos along with Dr. Hiralal Chaudhuri; he made apresentation “Overview of Fish Production &

Challenges”. The Chief Executive, NFDB felicitated Dr.M.V. Gupta for his outstanding contribution to the FisheriesSector.

Dr M. V. Gupta, World Food Prize Laureate, beingpresented a Memento by Shri K.N. Kumar, Chief Executive(at left), and the participants (above) on the occasion ofNational Fish Farmers’ Day at NFDB

Dr M. V. Gupta planting a sapling on the NFDB Campusin the presence of Shri K.N. Kumar, Chief Executive andothers on the occasion of National Fish Farmers’ Day

On behalf of NFDB, Dr V. V. Sugunan, Senior Consultant,presented a Citation to Dr M. V. Gupta at his residence inthe presence of Mrs. Gupta, Dr. Radheshyam, SeniorConsultant and Shri B.V. Balaji, Senior Executive ( Admin& Fin).

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Dr M V Gupta, World Food Prize Laureate, being presenteda Citation from NFDB by Dr Sugunan in the presence ofMrs Gupta, Dr Radheshyam and Shri Balaji of the NFDB

5.2 Foundation Stone laid for NFDB funded ModernFish Market at Port Blair in Andaman & NicobarIslands

NFDB provided financial assistance of Rs. 96.29 lakh toDept. of Fisheries, Andaman & Nicobar Administration forthe construction of a Modern Fish Market at Junglighat,Port Blair. The foundation stone for the Modern FishMarket was laid by Lt. Gen. A.K. Singh, Hon’ble Lt.Governor of Andaman & Nicobar Islands on 18 June 2016in the presence of Shri Bishnu Pada Ray, Hon’ble Memberof Parliament, Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

Foundation Stone for NFDB funded Modern Fish Marketat Junglighat, Port Blair was laid by Lt. Gen. A.K. Singh,

Lt. Governor, in the presence of Shri Bishnu Pada Ray,Member of Parliament, Andaman & Nicobar Islands(above) and a Model of the Modern Fish Market (below)

5.3 Guest Lecture on ‘Status of Artemia Culture in Indiaand Future Prospects’, organized at NFDB

Artemia (commonly called the Brine Shrimp) is one of themost important live feed used during the larval rearingoperations of farmed aquatic organisms and therefore hasbecome an essential component in crustacean and finfishhatchery inventory. Artemia cysts harvested from the GreatSalt Lake, Utah, USA, are marketed across the world. It isestimated that India imports around 50 metric tons ofArtemia cysts annually for its aquaculture activities. On24 June 2016, as part of the Guest Lecture Series at NFDB,a presentation on ‘Status of Artemia Culture in India andFuture Prospects’ was made by Dr. Joseph P. Royan, Retd.Scientist, National Institute of Oceanography, CSIR, Goa,and a Consultant on Artemia culture to Sri Lanka andIndonesia.

Dr. Joseph P. Royan making a presentation on ArtemiaCulture in India (above) and Shri K.N. Kumar, ChiefExecutive presenting a Memento to him (below) at NFDB,Hyderabad

Dr. Royan gave an overview of the Artemia resources, itsbiology and culture. The species Artemia salina (Linnaeus,

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1758) (supposed to be a complex of 6-7 species) occurs inall the continents while Artemia urmia occurs in Iran. Dr.Royan in his extensive survey of the resources in Indiafound Artemia occurring in the regions of Tuticorin in TamilNadu, Saurashtra and Rann-of-Kutch (a seasonal salt marshlocated in the Thar Desert) in Gujarat. Reproduction is byviviparous as well as oviparous methods. Being an ‘Off-the-shelf and on-demand-product Artemia is the primarychoice as source of live feed in most hatchery operations,especially the Shrimp and Scampi Hatcheries. Adultsinhabit hyper-saline water, cysts hatch in normal seawater,while Nauplii (hatchlings) can be acclimatized tofreshwater. Several firms operating in the above said regionsof India are harvesting the Artemia cysts and exportingunder various brand names, the price of which is aroundRs. 2000/- per kg.

The Brine Shrimp [Artemia franciscana], and its Cysts(above) and the Artemia Farm of RGCA (MPEDA) atTharuvaikulam in Tuticorin, Thoothukudi district, TamilNadu (Source: http://www.rgca.org.in)

5.4 National Workshop on Dissemination of Results ofValidation Studies on Coastal and Marine Ecosystemsorganized by MoEF&CC, Chennai, Tamil Nadu

A National Workshop on “Dissemination of Results ofValidation Studies on Coastal and Marine Ecosystems” was

organized by Ministry of Environment, Forest & ClimateChange (MoEF&CC), Govt. of India in collaboration withDeutsche Gesellschaft Fur International Zusammen Arbeit(GIZ) and Bay of Bengal Programme Inter GovernmentalOrganization (BOBP-IGO) on 27-28 June 2016. The aimof the workshop was to highlight the economic value ofecosystem services and biodiversity to enhanceeffectiveness of conservations and sustainable use of theresources from coastal and marine ecosystems – studiescarried out under TEEB India Initiative (TII). The workshopalso aimed to prepare a road map for taking forward thesestudies, both at the research and developmental level.

Representatives from Department of Fisheries of Kerala,Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, FSI, NFDB, CMFRI, CIBA,CAA, ZSI, ICSF, MSSRF, NCSCM, CIFE, CESS, and IEGparticipated in the Workshop. Dr. Ajay Pandey, Consultant(M & E) represented NFDB, Hyderabad.

Research findings of five studies sponsored by MoEF&CCwere presented. These studies are: (1) Assessment of eco-labeling as a tool for conservation and sustainable use ofbiodiversity in Ashtamudi Lake, Kerala; (2) Economicevaluation of seasonal fishing ban on marine fisheriesservices in five States i.e., Tamil Naidu, Kerala, Gujarat,Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka; (3) Economic value ofbiodiversity loss: a study of by-catch from Andhra Pradeshmarine fisheries; (4) Economics of ecosystem services andbiodiversity for conservation and sustainable managementof Chilika Lake; and (5) Evaluating the flow of ecosystemservices from the regenerated mangroves compared tooriginal mangrove forest in Gujarat.

Presentations were followed by group discussions, theoutcomes of which were presented by the groups.

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5.5 NFDB funded project on ‘Upgradation andDissemination of Seed Production Technology ofMurrel” launched at ICAR-CIFA, Bhubaneswar

A Launch Workshop of NFDB funded TechnologyUpgradation Project entitled “Upgradation andDissemination of Seed Production Technology of Murrel”was organized at ICAR-CIFA, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, on23 July 2016. NFDB provided financial of Rs 74.36 lakhsto ICAR-CIFA for undertaking the project which aims todevelop captive brood-stock of Striped Murrel in re-circulatory system, to upscale and disseminate its seedproduction technology.

Dr. P. Jayasankar, Director, addressing at the LaunchWorkshop of NFDB funded Murrel Project at ICAR-CIFA,Bhubaneswar, Odisha

Dr. P. Jayasankar, Director, ICAR-CIFA highlighted thework done by the institute on captive breeding and seedproduction of murrels and hoped that the project wouldplay a vital role in dissemination of the availabletechnology. Dr V. V. Sugunan, Sr. Consultant, NFDBinaugurated the launch workshop which was attended byfarmers, entrepreneurs and researchers from AndhraPradesh, Telangana, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Odisha.Dr Bindu R. Pillai, HoD, Aquaculture Production andEnvironment Division (APED), Dr A. K. Sahu, DBTvisiting Prof. for N.E. Region and Dr U. L. Mohanty, Sr.Technical Officer spoke. Dr Rajesh Kumar, Scientist andPrincipal Investigator of the project explained the objectivesof the proposed project. On this occasion Striped Murrelseed, besides certificates, were distributed to the farmersfrom different States.

Distribution of Sriped Murrel Seed (above) and Certificates(below) to farmers at the Launch Workshop of MurrelProject at CIFA, Bhubaneswar, Odisha

5.6 Meeting to finalize Project Proposals under‘Central Sector Scheme on Blue Revolution:Integrated Development & Management ofFisheries’ held at NFDB

The NFDB was entrusted with the responsibility ofscrutinizing and recommending the proposals received fromDept. of Fisheries of the States and Union Territories bythe Dept. of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries(DADF, MOA&FW, Govt. of India), for funding under the“Central Sector Scheme on Blue Revolution: IntegratedDevelopment and Management of Fisheries”. For thispurpose, a ‘Blue Revolution Cell’ was constituted in theNFDB comprising of six officials: Dr. B. K. Chand,Executive Director (Chairman), Shri Chandan Chetri, Sr.Executive (Convener), Dr. Radheshyam, Sr. Consultant,Ms. A.V. Madhuri, Executive, Shri Periya Karuppan,Consultant and Shri Suman Damisetty, Consultant, asMembers.

A two-day meeting was convened on 26-27 July 2016 atNFDB, Hyderabad, and the concerned States and UTs wereasked to bring the proposals along with the State ActionPlan (SAP) as per the new Guidelines and allocations madeunder National Action Plan (NAP) for Fisheries. The BlueRevolution Cell at the NFDB assisted by Staff dealing withrespective States and UTs scrutinized, discussed andfinalized the proposals and later submitted the same to theMinistry for further necessary action.

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The Chief Executive, NFDB addressing (left above), rep-resentative of Dept. of Fisheries of States & UTs (left middletwo), scrutiny of the proposals (left below and above) atthe Meeting convened at NFDB, Hyderabad to finalizeproject proposals under CSS on Blue Revolution: Integrated

Development and Management of Fisheries

5.7 NOS Workshop for Skill Development in Fisheriesheld at NFDB

The ‘Fisheries Skill Advisory Board Meeting’ of theAgriculture Skill Council of India (ASCI) was held atNFDB, Hyderabad on 19 April 2016. As a follow up ofthat meeting, a two-day ‘Workshop on NationalOccupational Standards (NOS) for Skill Development inFisheries’ was organized on 4-5 August 2016 at NFDB,Hyderabad. The objective of the workshop was validationand finalization of the job roles developed by ASCI forfisheries sector.

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Group discussions (at left) and participants (above) at theNOS Workshop for Skill Development in Fisheries held atNFDB

5.8 Independence Day Celebrated at NFDB with SchoolChildren

The 70th Independence Day of India was celebrated on 15August 2016 at NFDB, Hyderabad. Shri K.N. Kumar, ChiefExecutive, NFDB hoisted the National Flag which wasfollowed by rendering of the National Anthem and a briefaddress by the CE. All the Officers and Staff participatedenthusiastically. Children from three nearby schools (i)Raghavendra High School, (ii) Sri Gayathri High School,at Shivarampally, Rajendra Nagar, and (iii) Jyothi ModelHigh School, at Kattedan, Hyderabad, were invited toparticipate in the Independence Day function at NFDB.Competitions in debating, elocution, quiz, painting, fancydress, and different games were conducted for them. Prizeswere distributed to the winners, and refreshments servedto all the participants.

Shri K.N. Kumar, Chief Executive addressing the Staff andSchool Children after hoisting the National Flag on 15August 2016 at NFDB, Hyderabad

School children in different attire reflecting Indian historyand ethos at the Independence Day Celebrations on 15August 2016 at NFDB, Hyderabad

Prize Winners of various competitions organized on 15August 2016 at NFDB for the children from RaghavendraHigh School, Sri Gayathri High School and Jyothi ModelHigh School, Hyderabad

5.9 Secretary, DAHD&F, Govt. of India, visits PrivateFisheries Enterprises and NFDB Funded Projects inChhattisgarh

Shri Devendra Chaudhry, Secretary, Dept. of AnimalHusbandry, Dairying & Fisheries (AHD&F), Ministry ofAgriculture & Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW), Govt. of

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India, held a review meeting, on fisheries projectssanctioned to Chhattisgarh State, on 6 August 2016 atRaipur. Officials from the Ministry, State FisheriesDepartment, and Dr. Utpal Kumar Sar, Executive Director(Tech) and Dr. N. John Samuel, Consultant (Tech) fromNFDB attended. Apart from the review meeting, Secretaryvisited two fish farms of successful entrepreneurs nearRaipur and NFDB funded facilities developed in the State.

(i) Fish Hatchery at Mana:

The Secretary visited facilities created at MM FisheriesProduct Pvt. Ltd, at Mana, Raipur, viz., Pangasius hatchery,Tilapia hatchery, broodstock of Tilapia, Pangasius, IMC,etc. The Secretary interacted with fish farmers andfishermen who came from nearby places.

Shri Devendra Chaudhry, Secretary, (AHD&F) inspectingthe Pangasius Hatchery facilities at MM Fisheries at Mana,Raipur, Chhattisgarh

(ii) Fish Farm Facility at Bendri:

The Secretary visited fish farm facilities developed by MMFisheries Products Pvt. Ltd., at Bendri. The total area ofthe ponds is 17 acre, which were stocked with 1.60 lakhPangasius seed along with 0.60 lakh monosex Tilapia seed.He interacted with the entrepreneurs and fisheries officialson Pangasius and Tilapia farming.

Shri Devendra Chaudhry, Secretary, (AHD&F) interactingwith the entrepreneurs, Shri V.K. Shukla, Director ofFisheries, Chhattisgarh and other officials at Bendri

(iii) Visit to Animal Camp and Exhibition at ShyamTarai Mandi, Dhamtari:

The Secretary, DAHD&F, visited the Animal Camparranged at Shyam Tarai Mandi, Dhamtari and interactedwith the farmers. Later he visited the State Fisheries Stallat the exhibition and interacted with beneficiaries whoavailed NFDB financial assistance. On this occasion, twowheelers with insulated fish box, aerators, bicycle withinsulated fish box, hygienic insulated fish box, nets, etc.were distributed to the beneficiaries under NFDB Scheme.Later the Secretary addressed a public meeting at the animalcamp, which was attended by the Hon’ble FisheriesMinister of Chhattisgarh State and other leaders of theDhamtari area.

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Shri Devendra Chaudhry, Secretary, (AHD&F) interactingwith beneficiaries of NFDB assistance at the Exhibition atShyam Tarai Mandi, Dhamtari, Chhattisgarh

5.10 Secretary, DAHD&F, Govt. of India, visits Pen andCage Culture Units in Reservoirs of Jharkhand

Shri Devendra Chaudhry, Secretary, Dept. of AnimalHusbandry, Dairying & Fisheries (AHD&F), Ministry ofAgriculture & Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW), Govt. ofIndia, undertook extensive field visits on 18 and 19 August2016 to various sites where Central Govt. funded schemesare being implemented in the State of Jharkhand. Shri RajivKumar, Director of Fisheries Govt. of Jharkhand, NFDBOfficers Shri K. N. Kumar, Chief Executive, Dr. B. K.Chand, Executive Director (Tech.), Dr. Radheyshyam, Sr.Consultant (Fisheries) and Dr. N. John Samuel, Consultant(Tech), and other Central and State Govt. Officialsaccompanied.

(i) Visit to Pen Culture Site at Salboni:

Salboni village is located at Saraikela district of Jharkhandat a distance of about 80 km from Ranchi. The Salboniwater body is about 24 ha, located at one corner of ChandilReservoir and the water area is enclosed by erecting a Pen– net partition supported with bamboo poles. A group of36 tribal fish farmers are involved in rearing fish seed andtable size fish in the enclosed water body. Two crore IMCspawn were stocked in the month of April, 2016. On thedate of visit, fish size was 70-100 g, depending upon thespecies. The Director of Fisheries informed that with NFDBfunding, stocking of the reservoir with large size fingerlingsof Indian Major Carp (IMC) was carried out for 4 years,which increased fish production significantly from 2-3kg/ha to 80kg/ha. Therefore, IMC spawn/ fry are being rearedin Pens or ditches on the periphery for stocking in thereservoir.

Shri Devendra Chaudhry, interacted with the tribal FishFarmers and members of tribal Fisherwomen CooperativeSociety, and assured all possible help to them. The Secretaryinstructed the Director of Fisheries, Jharkhand to prepare

a proposal amounting to Rs. 1.00 crore in the name of theTribal Cooperative Society of Salboni for FisheriesDevelopment in the region and submitting it to NCDC forfunding.

Shri Devendra Chaudhry, Secretary, DAHD&F, Govt. ofIndia, interacting with members of Tribal FisherwomenCooperative Society at Salboni, Jharkhand

(ii) Visit to Cage Culture Site in Chandil Reservoir:

Chandil Reservoir located about 90 km from Ranchi Cityis built on Subarnarehka River and is one of the majorreservoirs of Jharkhand covering an area of 16000 ha. Cagefarming in the reservoir was taken up from 2010-11 to 2014-15, through the participation of local fishermen, to enhancefish production from unit area. This lead to socio-economicupliftment of the local fisher community throughemployment and income generation. The tribal fishercommunity installed 80 cage- batteries in the reservoir withfinancial assistance from NFDB and implemented by theDoF, Govt. of Jharkhand.

Each battery includes 4 cages of 6 m x 4 m x 4 m size.Pangasius sutchi fry are purchased from the neighbouringWest Bengal. They are reared to fingerlings either in earthenponds or in cages with intensive care. After three monthsof rearing fingerlings are stocked in cages for grow outculture. Cages were stocked @ 7000 fingerlings ofPangasius. Initially fish were fed with higher protein feed(up 32% protein) and gradually protein level in feed isdecreased to 26% with the growth of the fish. In 8 monthculture period, fish grew to marketable size of 800-1100 g.Feed FCR varied from 1.25 - 1.5. Average total fishproduction is 3-4 ton/cage/8 months. Cost of fish productionworked out to be Rs 50/kg fish. Feed cost contributed toabout 70% of the total operational cost. Fish are sold @ Rs

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80/kg at the reservoir site in live condition. The harvestedfish are transported by the fisher community to local fishmarket using vehicle purchased with the financial supportof NFDB. NFDB also provided financial assistance forpurchase of boats for the cage site (to transport feed andfish catch), as well as for two-wheelers to tribal fishers forretail vending of fish. In retail market live fish is sold @Rs130-140/kg.

Shri Devendra Chaudhry, Secretary, Shri K.N. Kumar, CE,Shri Rajiv Kumar, DoF visiting NFDB funded cage cultureunits in Chandil Reservoir, Jharkhand

Shri Devendra Chaudhry was impressed with cage cultureof fish in Chandil Reservoir. He also visited seed productionunit and fish feed mill at the reservoir site. He interactedwith the fishermen co-operative society members andappreciated their efforts and encouraged them to do morecage culture in order to increase their family income. TheSecretary instructed to formulate a comprehensive projectwith an outlay of Rs. 30 crore for Fisheries Developmentof Chandil, comprising of cage culture (2000 on reservoirs& 2000 on river stretches), seed production facilities,establishment of feed mill, filleting & other post-harvestfacilities and capacity building/ training of fishercommunities. Later in the day the Secretary also visited a40 ha Community Fish Culture site at Bundu Lake locatedat about 45 km from Ranchi city.

(iii) Visit to Fish Farmers’ Training Center at Shalimar:

Shri Devendra Chaudhry visited Fish Hatchery and FishFarmers Training Centre (FFTC) established by Dept. ofFisheries, at Shalimar, near Ranchi, Jharkhand. He unveileda training manual and addressed the trainees and officers.

Shri Devendra Chaudhry, Secretary, AHD&F unveiling atraining manual (above) and addressing trainees (below)at Fish Farmers Training Centre at Shalimar, near Ranchi,Jharkhand

5.11 Workshop on ‘Antibiotic Residue Issues in ShrimpAquaculture’ held at CIBA, Chennai

A Workshop on ‘Antibiotic Residue Issues in ShrimpAquaculture’, under the All India Network Project on FishHealth, was organized on 18 August 2016 by the CentralInstitute of Brackishwater Aquaculture, Chennai. Dr KKVijayan, Director, CIBA, Dr B K Das, Director CentralInland Fisheries Research Institute Barrackpore, Mr EliasSait, Secretary General, Seafood Exporters Association ofIndia, Mr V Balasubramaniam, General Secretary, PrawnFarmers’ Federation of India, Mr Rahul Kulkari,representing the Hatchery Owners Association, Dr M NMohan Das CP Aquaculture (india) Pvt Ltd., Dr AshokKumar and Dr Sankar, HoDs, Central Institute of FisheriesTechnology Kochi, HoDs, Principal Investigators of theNetwork Project Centres, Principal Scientists and SeniorScientists form NBFGR, CIFE, CIFRI, CIBA, CIFT, SAUsand representatives from the coastal aquaculture industryparticipated.

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Participants of the Workshop on ‘Antibiotic Residue Issuesin Shrimp Aquaculture’, held at ICAR-CIBA, Chennai.

Dr. VV Sugunan, Sr. Consultant and Dr Utpal Kumar Sar,Executive Director, representing NFDB assured thegathering that NFDB is committed to the cause ofaddressing the issue of antibiotics residues in aquacultureand assured all assistance in implementing therecommendations of the Workshop.

5.12 Guest Lecture on ‘Commercialization ofFreshwater Aquaculture Technologies’ organized atNFDB

As part of the Guest Lecture Series at NFDB, a presentationon ‘Commercialization of Freshwater Aquaculture ValueChain’ was delivered on 24 August 2016 by Dr. NageshKumar Barik, Sr. Scientist, Central Institute of FreshwaterAquaculture (ICAR-CIFA), Bhubaneswar, Odisha.

Discussion following Presentation by Dr. Nagesh KumarBarik (at left above, extreme right) and participants atNFDB, Hyderabad

Dr. Barik informed that a Technology Incubation Centrehas been established at ICAR-CIFA wherein some 15Technologies are available for transfer to field. He saidthat several technologies have already been commercialized(e.g. CIFAX – for fish health management), while thereare no/few takers for some of them (e.g. Diagnostic Kits).He highlighted the issues with some of the technologiesand sought NFDB assistance to promote them. Hecompared Transfer of Freshwater AquacultureTechnologies to Public Enterprises, Social Enterprises,Micro Enterprises, and Small & Medium Enterprises. Hesuggested that transfer of technology to Private Enterpriseis the better option.

Dr. Barik emphasized that for taking the FreshwaterAquaculture Technologies to the innumerable stakeholdersin the remotest corners of the country in the shortestpossible time, there is a need to establish more‘Aquaculture Field Schools (AFS)’ run by progressivefish farmers (master trainers). He sought NFDB assistancefor establishing and running such schools. The ChiefExecutive, NFDB, suggested that CIFA could come up witha Master Trainers Training Programme which NFDB couldsponsor.

Aquaculture Field School established by ICAR-CIFA at thefarm of Shri Manabendra Maharatha in Bhatpadagarhvillage, Banpur block, Khurda district, Odisha

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6.1 NFDB team inspects site proposed forestablishing ‘Centre of Excellence for L. vannameiCulture’ in Jhajjar district, Haryana State

The Govt. of Haryana proposes to establish a Centre ofExcellence for the Aquaculture of Litopenaeus vannamei(Boone, 1931), using ground saline water, at an estimatedcost of Rs.11.50 crore. The site proposed for the Centre islocated in Badsha village, Bahadurgarh block, Jhajjardistrict, Haryana. NFDB was requested to depute a teamof experts to inspect and assess the suitability of the site.

A team comprising of Dr. Bimal Kinkar Chand, ExecutiveDirector (Tech), Dr. Manne Persis, Senior Executive (Tech)and Dr. T.V. Suresh Consultant (Tech) from NFDB,Hyderabad inspected the site during 3 - 4 June 2016. Theywere accompanied by Shri R.C. Koushik, Deputy Directorof Fisheries & Nodal Officer, District Fisheries Officer,and Block Level Fisheries Officers, Dept. of Fisheries,Govt. of Haryana.

Site proposed for establishment of Centre of Excellencefor Litopenaeus vannamei shrimp culture (above); NFDBand DoF Officials on the approach road to the site, passingbetween the drain and the freshwater canal (below), inBadsha village, Bahadurgarh block, Jhajjar district,Haryana

6 NFDB Field Notes

The site is 25 ha in extent and located along the Gurgoan–Jhajjar main road and opposite to the site proposed forEstablishing a Unit of All India Institute of MedicalSciences (AIIMS). It is 14 km from the city of Jhajjar, 30km from ICAR-CIFE Regional Centre at Rhthak, and 70km from Delhi. The salinity of ground water in the area is6-7 ppt and water table is at 30-40 ft depth. Adjacent to thesite there are 3 streams – 2 sewage drains and 1 freshwatercanal (from Jamuna River).

The team also visited existing L. vannamei shrimp cultureponds/ units in Jhajjar and Rohtak districts to get to knowthe existing culture practices in Haryana and to estimatethe potential of the State for L. vannamei culture and futuredemand for seed, feed, processing, storage and marketing.As per the Dept. of Fisheries (DoF), Govt. of Haryana,there are about 20,000 ha of saline area suitable for L.vannamei shrimp culture, and the Dept. started promotingL. vannamei culture from 2015-16 by providing 50%subsidy to farmers under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana(RKVY) Scheme of the Govt. of India.

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Litopenaeus vannamei shrimp culture farm of ShriDharmendar, Lagarpur village, Jhajjar district-I (at leftabove), farm of Shri Kuldip Karan, Kherijat village, Jhajjardistrict-I (at left below) and a farm at Bohar Village, Rohtakdistrict-I (above) in the State of Haryana

The unit cost adopted by the DoF is Rs. 25.00 lakh per haincluding construction and one year input costs of whichRs 12.50 lakh is provided as subsidy. In addition to theseunits spread over 60 ha subsidized by the DoF, Hrayana,around 100 ha were under L. vannamei culture withoutGovt. subsidy in Bhiwani area near Rohtak. Majority ofthe existing shrimp farmers are trained by DoF, Haryana atCIFE, Regional Centre, Rohtak with NFDB funding.Further, DoF, Haryana and CIFE Rohtak Centre are givingtechnical assistance to the farmers.

(i) General Observations on Shrimp Farming inHaryana:

1. There is Good potential for L. vannamei culture inthe State of Haryana as the salinity of the groundwater is between 8-10 ppt on an average.

2. Around 20,000 ha of saline areas exist in the Statewhich is suitable for L. vannamei culture, the landbeing unfertile, unproductive and unutilized.

3. At present around 150-200 ha area, spread in 6 districtof Haryana viz, Jhajjar, Rohtak, Sonepat, Jing, Hissarand parts of Panipat, is under L. vannamei cultureout of which around 60 ha is being supported by DoF,Haryana with technical assistance from CIFE Centre,Rohtak.

4. The existing culture is productive, profitable and thushas opened new vistas for fisheries production anddevelopment in Haryana.

5. Presently, there is huge demand for L. vannamei seed(25-30 million/yr required) and feed which is likely

to increase exponentially in the coming 2-3 years.

6. At present 2 larval rearing units one at Alampur andthe other at Bhiwani exist which are rearing PL 8-10for 1 month and supplying to shrimp culture farms,while few farmers are getting seed directly from CAAapproved hatcheries in Andhra Pradesh andPondicherry.

7. The team observed that as per the existing CAAnorms all farms (and larval rearing units) for L.vannamei culture in fresh water/ inland farms shouldbe registered by concerned State Govt. by constitutinga District Level Committee (DLC) after inspectingfarms and compliance to CAA guidelines, which isnot in place as on date.

8. Bio-security measures such as crab fencing, birdscares and reservoir ponds, ETP, etc, are not in placein the existing farms of L. vannamei culture in theState.

9. As many farmers are interested in shrimp farming andDoF is also keen to support the culture, and it isproductive and profitable at present as only a fewfarmers in few pockets are practicing it and the landis also virgin. However, in future if expansion takesplace without bio- security measures and an ETP,discharge of saline waters after culture will pose athreat to environment and to the culture itself.

10. The DoF in consultation with CAA shouldimmediately constitute DLCs and register all theexisting farms and impart training to all existingfarmers and other interested farmers on Guidelines,BMPs and bio-security measures in co-ordination withCIFE Centre with NFDB funding.

(ii) Specific Remarks on Establishing Centre ofExcellence for L. vannamei Culture in Haryana:

1. To establish L. vannamei hatchery, lot of technicalissues are involved and the high level technicalexpertise required is not available with the Dept. ofFisheries, Haryana. As per the NFDB Team and CIFERohtak Centre, a hatchery is not required at present atthe site. Technical guidance from CIBA and MPEDA(RGCA) is required for assessing the need and technicalfeasibility of the area for a hatchery, as they are thecompetent organizations for approving establishmentof Shrimp Hatchery.

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2.Guidance from Govt. of India and Coastal AquacultureAuthority of India (CAA) is immediately required asCAA is the competent authority to register and permitL. vannamei hatcheries to import Brood Stock andNauplii from CAA approved suppliers, after quarantineat the AQF of RGCA, Chennai.

3.Thus, instead of a hatchery, after taking CAApermission and consulting GoI/ CIBA, the proposedCentre of Excellence can establish larval rearing unitsto meet the present demand of shrimp seed in the State.

4. At the proposed site, construction of Ponds, Nurseries,Demo Units, Diagnostic & Testing Labs, buildings forTraining, Office, Staff Quarters, etc. can be taken upbut with a partition between the ponds culture unitsand other structures keeping in view bio-security issues.

5. Freezing, refrigerated storage and transport facilitiesare required as there is no local market for the shrimpand the entire produce is to be sold at Delhi marketwhich is 70 km from the site or to the export orientedprocessing plants in other parts of the country. Theseare also to be established separate from the farmingarea.

6.Since hatchery is not feasible at present, theGreenhouse for Brood Stock is not required.

7.Thus, after consulting CAA, CIBA and MPEDA-RGCA and based on their suggestions, except forHatchery and Greenhouse for Brood Stock, all otherstructures can be taken up by properly segregatingthem.

8. After these consultations, if agreed to, the followingdocuments are to be furnished to NFDB by DoF,Haryana:

a. Document pertaining to transfer of land to DoF,Haryana from Gram Panchayat.

b. DPR for all the proposed structures.

c. Layout and architectural drawings.

d. Detailed engineering estimates along withabstract estimates.

e. Time-line and Implementation Plan of theproject.

f. Proposed plan of placement of dedicated staff/personnel for the Centre at the farm, demo unit

and diagnostic & testing laboratories, etc., theirpresent technical expertise, need for furthertraining, etc.

g. As per NFDB Guidelines 40% of the approvedproject cost can be funded by NFDB. A statementof undertaking to meet the remaining expenditureis also to be enclosed.

6.2 Seasonal Breeding of Improved Varieties of Fishundertaken at National Freshwater Fish BroodBank of NFDB at Kausalyaganga, Bhubaneswar,Odisha

Prior to the establishment of National Freshwater FishBrood Bank (NFFBB) by NFDB, ICAR-CIFA wasproducing spawn of Jayanti Rohu and Improved Catla, andafter rearing them to fingerlings, Breeder Seed weredistributed to different States and Certified Hatcheries. Theleftover Breeder Seed of each year was further reared underBreeders Raising Programme in ponds at NFFBB. Duringthe current breeding season, Jayanti Rohu, Improved Catlaand Amur Carp were successfully bred by Shri Subrat Dash,Sr. Executive (Tech.) and O-i-C, NFFBB in the CircularHatchery available at the adjacent State FisheriesDepartment Farm. Till date about 30 kg of Jayanti Rohu,85 kg of Improved Catla and 50 kg of Amur Carp havebeen successfully bred. About 18 lakh Jayanti Rohu, 8 lakhImproved Catla and about 4 lakh Amur Carp spawn arebeing reared in the available nurseries. NFFBB wouldsupply fry of the above three species from 2nd week ofAugust. Large-scale breeding will be undertaken duringthe next season after more ponds are constructed and aCircular Hatchery is established within NFFBB premises.In order to raise Breeder Fish of other commercial varieties,about 1000 Magur, 1000 Scampi (F-7 Generation) and 3000Minor Carp (Puntius gonionotus) fingerlings were broughtfrom CIFA, Kausalyaganga for further rearing in ponds atNFFBB of the NFDB.

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Induced Breeding of Fish using Ovatide by Shri SubratDash (at left) and Breeding Hapas in pond (above) atNFDB-NFFBB, Kausalyaganga, Bhubaneswar, Odisha

On 23 September 2016, Amur carp and Jayanti Rohu seedwas supplied to Fisheries Research Station, Shri P.V.Narsima Rao Veterinary University, Palair, Khamamdistrict, Telangana State.

Fish seed packed in corrugated boxes being dispatchedfrom NFDB-NFFBB, to Fisheries Research Station, Palair,Khammam district, Telangana State

6.3 Fish Seed Hatcheries in Jharkhand renovatedwith NFDB assistance inspected

NFDB sanctioned and released Rs. 7.2 lakh for therenovation/ up-gradation of fish seed hatcheries at Doranda,Ranchi district and Gumla, Gumla district in Jharkhand.Dr. Radheshyam, Sr. Consultant (Fisheries) visited the fishhatcheries in Jharkhand to evaluate their performance afterrenovation. The renovation works were completed byeffectively utilizing NFDB fund.

At Doranda Fish Farm Hatchery: a 5 H.P. submersible pumpwas sunk; Sintex water storage tanks were installed on thestore room; and water supply line to hatchery was repaired.These renovations done at a cost of Rs 3.6 lakh haveincreased the breeding and hatching capacity in thehatchery. As a result, spawn production increased from 8-

10 to 20-25 crore per annum. This resulted in increasedseed supply and wider distribution under various schemesthereby contributing to enhanced fish production in thedistrict. Such project may be replicated at other GovernmentFish Hatcheries, which are languishing due to lack ofattention and/or shortage of funds.

New overhead tanks installed on store room at the Hatcheryrenovated utilizing financial assistance from NFDB inDoranda Fish Farm, Ranchi district, Jharkhand

At Gumla Fish Farm Hatchery: new hatching pools withshade above were constructed; old hatching pools, existingspawning pool and overhead water storage tank wererenovated by utilizing NFDB assistance of Rs.3.6 lakh.

Renovated Breeding and Hatching Pools at the Hatcheryrenovated utilizing financial assistance from NFDB inGumla Fish Farm, Gumla district, Jharkhand

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Due to modernization and renovation of the hatchery thecarp spawn production increased significantly from 15 croreto 25-30 crore per annum. The renovated carp hatcherynot only fulfilled the stocking demand of the Gumla district,but carp seed from this hatchery were also supplied to thefish farmers of districts in neighbouring State ofChhattisgarh.

6.4 NFDB Senior Consultant participates in variousFisheries Meetings in Kochi, KeralaDr. V.V. Sugunan Senior Consultant (Tech), NFDB,Hyderabad, was deputed to participated in various FisheriesMeetings held in the State of Kerala, from 8 to 13 July2016.

(i) National Seminar on ‘Perspective Aquaculture Planof Kerala’ at Kollam, 9 July 2013:

The meeting, convened by Department of FisheriesGovernment of Kerala was attended by Smt. Mercy KuttyAmma, Minister of Fisheries Government of Kerala, ShriM Mukesh, Member of the Legislative Assembly, Directorsof National Research Institutes and or their representatives,Senior Officials, Vice-Chancellor of KUFOS and a numberof Scientists from across the country. The meeting discussedpriorities for the State to be pursued for the coming decades,especially in the field of inland fisheries. Dr Sugunan,Senior Consultant made presentation on NDFB activitiesand highlighted the contribution of NFDB to the fisheriesdevelopment of the State. It was pointed out that Keralaoccupied the top position among all States that receivedNFDB funds during the last 10 years. The meetingidentified the thrust areas for development and approvedan action plan.

(ii) Meeting on Invasive Snail Control convened by Prof.K. V. Thomas, 11 July 2016:

The meeting was convened by Prof. K.V. Thomas, Hon’bleMP, to discuss possibilities of utilizing the giant Africanland snail, Achatina fulica (Férussac, 1821) internationallythe most invasive species of snails, which is a pest onagricultural crops.

The meeting was attended by the Vice- Chancellor ofKUFOS, Director of CMFRI and a number of Scientistsfrom KVKs and the Forest Department. The MP asked thescientists to suggest ways to collect the pest snails andutilize them for other purposes, rather than using pesticidesto kill them. This was based on the publications authoredby Dr. Sugunan while at CIFRI Barrackpore. Optionssuggested were (1) to make fish feed and pig feed out of it,

(2) rear ducks in infested areas, (3) export the snail meat tothe countries where they are eaten and (4) control them byusing environment-friendly pesticides. KUFOS has already

Giant African land snail, Achatina fulica (Férussac, 1821),the most invasive species of snails [Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achatina_fulica]

prepared a feed using the snails which was exhibited. TheMP urged the scientists to explore all possibilities andrequested NFDB for support in manufacturing fish feedout of the snail.

(iii) Development of Fisheries Station of KUFOS atPudupeveypu, Kochi – Visit on 11 July 2016:

On a request from the Vice-Chancellor, Kerala Universityof Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS), visit was madeto the University’s Brackishwater Farm facilities atPudupeveypu. This is a 20 ha farm facility with tidalinundated pond ecosystem holding the adults of allbackishwater fishes of culture significance such as Mugilcephalus, Chanos chanos, Etroplus suratensis, Latescalcarifer, Liza parsia, L. macrolepis, etc. Here is also theonly recognized hatchery for the shrimp Litopenaeusvannamei in the State and the farm produces L. vannameiin considerable quantity. The farm has a field laboratoryand pristine natural mangrove forests. This station is theonly dependable source for supply of seed of E. suratensis,C. chanos and M. cephalus. This farm is poised to becomea hub of brackishwater fish and shrimp hatchery productionin the State.

The Vice-Chancellor requested NFDB for assistance indeveloping and upgrading the farm into a modern facilityfor teaching extension, training, production anddemonstration. The Senior Consultant suggestedapproaching NFDB with specific proposals.

(iv) Meeting to formulate ‘Project on EnhancingProduction of Farmed Cobia and Farmed SilverPompano’, at CMFRI, Kochi on 12 July 2016:

A meeting was convened at CMFRI Kochi to complete the

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project formulation in respect of two projects underconsideration of NFDB viz., Enhancing production offarmed Cobia (Rachycentron canadum) and SilverPompano (Trachinotus blochii) through establishment ofbrood banks, hatcheries nursery units and farms at selectedlocations. This was the culmination of a series of meetingsamong CMFRI, State Fisheries Representatives and NFDBas a follow-up of the decision made in the NationalConsultation on Outreach held at NFDB Hyderabad on 12April 2016. The meeting was attended by all concernedfrom CMFRI, apart from representatives from six Stateswho are participating in the project. The discussions wereto complete in three days and it was decided that a properproject proposal would be submitted by 15 July 2016.

6.5 Monitoring & Evaluation Survey of NFDBfunded Projects in Kerala

Monitoring and Evaluation survey of NFDB fundedProjects in Kerala was conducted by Dr. S. Subrahmanyam,Senior Consultant (M&E) and Dr. Ajay Pandey, Consultant(M&E) during 7-11 August 2016. The team visited threedifferent Projects namely, Ornamental Fishery Units, FishMarkets and Aquatic Animal Health Laboratory. InOrnamental Fishery Units, there are two categories –completed projects and ongoing projects.

(i) Ornamental Fishery Units – Completed:

In the past, NFDB sanctioned Rs. 243.50 lakh for settingup of 691 Ornamental Fishery Units. The project iscompleted and the team visited Ten Units of this category.

The NFDB M&E Team at one of the ongoing OrnamentalFishery Units established with NFDB financial assistancein Kerala

One unit is integrated unit and it is performing well andmaking a profit of Rs. 50,000 per month. Out of theremaining nine units, four units are also doing very well.They started with rearing and subsequently expanded tobreeding. One of these entrepreneurs (Mr. Santosh, an auto-driver) showed extraordinary performance. He introducede-marketing of ornamental fishes and also expanded hismarket to other States like Tamil Nadu, West Bengal andKarnataka.

(ii) Ornamental Fishery Units – Ongoing:

NFDB sanctioned Rs.100 lakh to Kerala Aqua VenturesInternational Limited (KAVIL) to establish 200 BackyardOrnamental Fish Units in Kanjikuzhy block, Alappuzhadistrict, Kerala, out of which an amount of Rs. 50 lakhwas released as first installment. The subsidy on each unitis Rs. 50,000. Only 15 units were established and theirperformance is not up to the mark as the beneficiaries lacktechnical knowledge as well as managerial skills. Theyshould be provided training besides exposure visits to unitsshowing good performance. Many new applicants havestarted to establish their Units; the MD, KAVIL is toappraise the progress by end of September. It was suggestedto identify the beneficiaries in clusters so that marketingand monitoring will be easy.

(iii) Construction of Wholesale and Retail Fish Marketsin Kerala:

NFDB provided financial assistance of Rs. 5081.31 lakhfor the construction of 41 Wholesale and Retail FishMarkets in Kerala. The projects were implemented byKerala State Coastal Area Development Corporation(KSCADC) and after completion would be handover tothe Gram Panchayats which are expected to manage theasset by collecting some fee from the sellers who areprovided stalls in the market. 17 markets are completedand functioning, another 16 are completed but notfunctioning and the remaining 8 markets are under variousstages of construction.

Modern Fish Market at Kalady in Ernakulum District: Thenewly elected Grm Panchayat Body is in the process ofallotting shops to vendors. The quality of contruction isquite good and provision is made for effluent tretment. Itis planned to establish a biogas plant for solving the problemof solid waste disposal.

Retail Fish Market at Mala in Thrissur District:Construction was competed and handed over to Gram

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Panchayt, Mala. The market is functioning, but only twostalls are occupied. There is no money deposit for the stallsand rent is just Rs. 100 per month per stall. This amount ismeant for meeting cost of electricity, cleaning and securityservices.

NFDB Team discussing with Sarpanch and other officialsat the Retail Fish Market at Mala in Thrissur district,Kerala

Modern Retail Fish Market at Palluruthy in Ernakulamdistrict: The market has 48 retails stalls. The effulenttreatment plant, cold storage and flake ice plant areconstructed, but are not in use as the requirement isinadequate.

NFDB Team interaction with vendors in the modern fishmarket at Palluruthy, in Ernakulam district, Kerala

Wholesale cum Retail Fish Market in Udayamperoor inErnakulam district: The market was completed in a recordtime of one year. The complex has two portions, one having10 wholesale shops with a platform for auctioning fishes.The platform for auction is rented out for Rs. 41,500 foreight months (upto March 2017). The other portion has 16retail stalls which are yet to be auctioned.

A view of wholesale shops and platform (left) and retailfish stalls (right) at Wholesale cum Retail Fish Market inUdayamperoor in Ernakulam district, Kerala

(iv) Aquatic Animal Health and EnvironmentManagement Laboratory:

Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences(KUFOS) established the Aquatic Animal Health andEnvironment Management Laboratory (AAHEML) atCollege of Fisheries, in Panangad, Cochin, Kerala withfinancial support of Rs. 56.0 lakhs from NFDB. The labhas been set up with an aim to regularly monitor waterquality parameters and occurrence of diseases inaquaculture ponds in the State and to evolve the effectivestrategies for aquaculture health management. The facilitiescreated under the NFDB supported project include: Soiland water quality analysis; Microbiology andHistopathology Lab; PCR Lab; Office equipment; Labfurniture; Consumables such as chemicals, stock solutions,primers etc.

The AAH&EM Lab established with NFDB assistance byKerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences(KUFOS) at Panangad, Cochin, Kerala

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A nominal fee is being charged for the services, and anamount of Rs. 20,219/- has been generated so far. The In-charge, AAHEML, was advised to create a database ofwater quality profile of the various areas for ready referenceto potential aqua-farmers and to conduct outreachprogrammes in association with Department of Fisheriesto extend benefits to more farmers in remote areas.

6.6 Monitoring & Evaluation Survey of NFDBfunded Projects in Tamil Nadu

Monitoring and Evaluation survey of NFDB fundedProjects in Chennai, Tamil Nadu was carried out by Dr. S.Subrahmanyam, Senior Consultant (M&E) during 22-23August 2016. A few Fish Markets and a Referral Laboratoryfor Fish Disease Diagnosis and Aquatic Animal Health,established with financial assistance from NFDB, werevisited.

(i) Different types of Fish Markets established inChennai:

Three Stationary Fish Markets, one Mobile Fish Marketand one Fish Handling Centre were visited. The cost ofMobile Fish Market is only Rs. 9 lakh per unit and it isfound to be not only economically viable but also moreeffective than a stationary market. Firstly, it solves the spaceconstraint; secondly, the place can be changed as soon asother vendors enter the area and thirdly, fish will beavailable in hygienic conditions. Middle and higher incomegroups feel comfortable to make purchases from MobileFish Market as fish is available nearer to their homes andin better quality.

Fish Handling Centres are benefiting poor fisherwomenwho formed SHGs. They can be established wherevercooperative marketing system exists and NFDB can givepriority to such schemes. Projects designed under financialconvergence will be very effective for NFDB support asthe other agency will take rational decisions while preparingthe project proposal. In areas where women SHGs(registered or unregistered) are active, training in thepreparation of value added products will be very useful tothem.

(ii) Referral Laboratory for Fish Disease Diagnosis andAquatic Animal Health:

The laboratory was established by Tamil Nadu FisheriesUniversity (TNFU) with NFDB assistance of Rs. 55.12 lakhat one of its premises at Madhavaram Milk Colony,

Chennai, Tamil Nadu. The following facilities are available:Soil and water quality analysis facility; Microbiology andHistopathology Lab; PCR Lab; Office equipment; Labfurniture; Consumables such as chemicals, stock solutions,primers, etc.

The Lab is functioning and so far, 196 samples were testedand two training programmes conducted. An amount ofRs. 46,900 was collected as user charges. Major tests carriedout in the laboratory are: (i) TPC&TVC, (ii) PCR and (iii)Water quality analyses. In addition to this students are doingprojects using the samples collected by them. Training wasprovided to two State Fisheries Department personnel onthe use of the equipment.

Dr. S. Subrahmanyam inspecting NFDB assisted ReferralLaboratory established by TNFU at Madhavaram MilkColony, Chennai, Tamil Nadu

6.7 Chief Executive NFDB Interacts with MarineFisher Community in Mangamaripeta (v),Visakhapatnam district, Andhra Pradesh

Shri K.N. Kumar, Chief Executive, NFDB visitedMangamaripeta village in Bheemunipatnam madal,Visakhapatnam district, Andhra Pradesh, on 3 September2016. This visit was organized by Fisherfolk Foundation,Visakhapatnam. The CE interacted with fisherwomen andexplained about Skill Development and Mudra Loans.

They were also informed about the new NFDB Guidelinesand Schemes, while emphasizing on schemes applicableto traditional fishing community. He said that some 40 lakhfishers depend on marine fishery resources, but the catchis decreasing day by day because of several reasons. Inthis context educated youth among the fishing communitymust think of alternate employment. During the year 2016-17 NFDB proposes to develop the skills of 1500 fishingcommunity youth through training and placement inalternate occupations through APHRDI, Govt. of AP.

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7. Fishers & Farmers News

7.1 NFDB sponsored ‘State Level Fish Festival cumWorkshop - 2016’ held at Ranchi, Jharkhand

The ‘State-level Fish Festival cum Workshop – 2016’ wasorganized at Bidhan Sabha Maidan, Dhurba, Ranchi,Jharkhand on 22 and 23 September 2016. NFDB providedRs. 25 lakh to Dept. of Fisheries, Govt. of Jharkhand toorganize the State-level Fish Festival and Workshop. Dr.Radheyshyam, Sr. Consultant (Fisheries) and Dr. AjayPandey, Consultant (Tech) participated and put up theNFDB Stall displaying exhibits showcasing variousactivities and schemes. Over 20,000 fish farmers, tribalfishermen, fisherwomen, aqua-entrepreneurs, fisheryextension workers, Matsya Mitras, students, schoolchildren, etc., participated in the Fish Festival – 2016.

Shri Raghubar Das, Hon’ble Chief Minister inauguratedthe Festival, released ‘Smarika Publication’ and launched“Blue revolution” in the state of Jharkhand. Further, toaccelerate fish production and make the State not only self-sufficient but also to export fishes to the neighbouring Stateshe declared establishing a Fish Federation within twomonths.

Shri Raghubar Das, Hon’ble Chief Minister, Shri RandhirKumar Singh, Minister, Ms. Rajbala Verma, ChiefSecretary, Dr. Nitin Madan Kulkarni, Secretary and othersat State-level Fish Festival cum Workshop in Ranchi,Jharkhand

Shri Randhir Kumar Singh, Hon’ble Minister forAgriculture, Dairying and Co-operative Department,stressed that quality fish seed production is a pre-requisitefor enhancing fish production and that the Dhobas (smallponds) constructed for water conservation and irrigationare playing a crucial role. Currently, about 70,000 Dhobashave been constructed in the state and most of them are in

Fisher women actively participated and expressed theirviews. They resolved to form a Fishers ProducerOrganization (FPO) and sought financial support for FPOregistration.

Shri K.Shri K.N. Kumar, Chief Executive, NFDB addressing Fisherwomen of Mangamaripeta marine fishing village,Visakhapatnam district, Andhra Pradesh

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use for fish seed rearing, resulting in fish seed productionof 403 crore against the target of 425 crore. In view of thepotential, 4.5 lakh more Dhobas are to be constructed inthe State to increase fish seed production. Ms. RajbalaVerma, Chief Secretary, Dr. Nitin Madan Kulkarni,Secretary, and Ms. Pooja Singhal, Special Secretary alsoaddressed the gathering.

Huge gathering of fish farmers and fishers at State-levelFish Festival cum Workshop in Ranchi, Jharkhand

A ‘Fish Farmers Gosthi’ was organised where fisheriesexpert imparted knowledge on specialised technologies forthe benefit of the fish farmers. Matsya Mitras andentrepreneurs presented their own success stories. Quizcompetition related to fish farming was also conductedamong Matsya Mitras and prizes were given to the winners.At the Fish Festival fish weighing 10-20 kg were exhibitedand several awards were presented to the fish farmers andfishermen co-operative societies

Shri Randhir Kumar Singh, Hon’ble Minister, Agriculture,Animal Husbandry and Co-operative Department andOfficials of Dept. of Fisheries, Govt. of Jharkhand, beingbriefed about Blue revolution and NFDB activities by Dr.Radheyshyam, Sr. Consultant (Fisheries) at the NFDB Stall

7.2 ‘Krishi Unnati Mela’ organized at Mathura,Uttar PradeshA four-day ‘Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Krishi UnnatiMela – 2016’ was organized by the Department of AnimalHusbandry, Dairying and Fisheries’, Ministry ofAgriculture and Farmer Welfare, Govt. of India, in Mathura,Uttar Pradesh, from 26 to 29 September 2016. The eventhighlighted Government policies and programmes for themasses, who were encouraged to take part and grasp theawareness created in sectors like Agriculture, Horticulture,Fisheries and Animal Husbandry.

Dr. Radheyshyam, Sr. Consultant (Fisheries), Dr. JohnSamuel, Consultant (Tech), Dr. Ajay Pandey, Consultant(Tech) and Dr. M. Vishwas Rao, Jr. Consultant (Fisheries)participated and put up a stall exhibiting various activitiesand projects launched by NFDB to promote fisheries andaquaculture sector in the country.

Shri Parshottam Rupala (above) and Shri SudarshanBhagat (below), Hon’ble Ministers of State for Agriculture,being briefed about Blue Revolution Scheme for increasingfish production by Dr. Radheyshyam, Sr. Consultant(Fisheries) at the NFDB Stall at ‘Krishi Unnati Mela –2016’, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh

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Shri Radha Mohan Singh, Hon’ble Union Minister forAgriculture and Farmers Welfare, inaugurated the event.He advised farmers and entrepreneurs to take advantage ofthe Agriculture Fair. Fish Farmers gathering was addressedby Shri Devendra Chaudhury, Secretary DAHDF, Dr.Trilochan Mohapatra Secretary, Govt. of India and StateMinisters. On subsequent days Shri Amit Shah, Chairman,B.J.P. and Ms. Hema Malini, Local M.P. addressed thegathering.

Shri Parshottam Rupala, Hon’ble Minister of State forAgriculture, Shri Sudarshan Bhagat, Hon’ble Minister ofState for Agriculture, Shri Devendra Chaudhry, Secretary,DAHD&F, visited the NFDB Stall. Apart from thedignitaries other officials of Ministry of Agriculture,farmers, entrepreneurs, scholars and civilians visited thestall. NFDB team explained about Blue revolution schemesand NFDB activities to the visitors.

7.3 NFDB sponsored Training Programmeconducted by Dept. of Fisheries, ChhattisgarhNFDB sponsored training programme on ‘Intensive FishFarming’ was organized by the Dept. of Fisheries for FishFarmers during June 2016 at the Palaud Fish Farm,Raipur District Chattisgarh State. Stocking quality fish seedin ponds and tanks was also demonstrated to the fishfarmers.

NFDB Sponsored Training Programme for Fish Farmersconducted by the Dept. of Fisheries at Palaud, Raipurdistrict, Chhattisgarh

7.4 NFDB sponsored ‘Training-cum-DemonstrationProgrammes on Aquaculture’ conducted by Dept. ofFisheries, Manipur

As part of the HRD initiatives, NFDB sanctioned Rs. 8.15lakh to the Department of Fisheries, Govt. of Manipur forupgrading the skill of 450 fish farmers in different districtsof Manipur. Under this programme a series of 3-day ‘FishFarmers Training-cum-Demonstration Programme onAquaculture’ were conducted by the District FisheryOfficers in the districts of Lamphelpat, Ukhrul and Chandel,Manipur, during July 2016.

Fish Farmers Training Programme at Directorate ofFisheries, Lamphelpat, Manipur

Fish Farmers Training Programme at Ukhrul district,Manipur

Fish Farmers Training Programme (28-30 July 2016) atKomlathabi DLF Seed Farm in Chandel district, Manipur

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8. Fisheries & Aquaculture Industry News

8.1 Golden Mahseer Fish Bred successfully inHatchery in Himachal Pradesh

The population of the Golden Mahseer or HimalayanMahseer [Tor putitora, Hamilton, 1822], a popularfreshwater sport and food fish, is going to prosper in therivers of Himachal Pradesh, with the State FisheriesDepartment succeeding in breeding it in captivity for thefirst time.

The breeding took place on 21 July 2016 at the newly set-up Rs 6 crore Mahseer Hatchery at Machhial nearJogindernagar town in Mandi district, Himachal Pradesh.Hatching occurred in the next four to five days. More than7,000 hatchlings have been recovered from the eggs. It is amajor breakthrough in evolving the breeding technologyof the Golden Mahseer that is otherwise believed to betough to breed in captive conditions.

According to Shri Gurcharan Singh, Director-cum-Wardenof Fisheries, Himachal Pradesh, in 2012 the Departmentstarted collecting fry of the Golden Mahseer from nature.They were raised to brooder stage at the farm. This yearmore than 20,000 hatchlings are expecting to be raised tobrooders.

The artificial fertilization of Mahseer eggs was carried outfor the first time in 1970 in the private sector by the FisheryBiologist Shri S.N. Ogale at the Tata Power Company’sFarm at Lonavala, Pune district, Maharashtra. CurrentlyShri Ogale is assisting the State of Himachal Pradesh indeveloping protocols for the Mahseer ’s artificialpropagation and hatchery management.

Studies conducted by the Dept. of Fisheries have shownthat the population of Golden Mahseer is declining in theState for various reasons, including construction of dams,barrages, pollution, indiscriminate fishing of brood andjuvenile fish, introduction of exotic species and habitatdeterioration.

The Mahseer, one of the longest-living freshwater fish, isnative to mountain and sub-

mountain regions. It has been declared endangered by theWashington-based International Union of Conservation ofNatural Resources (IUCNR). The Pong Dam Reservoir,250 km from State capital Shimla and 190 km from

Chandigarh, supports an ample population of the GoldenMahseer. The fish migrates upstream for spawning duringthe southwest floods and after spawning it returns to theoriginal feeding grounds. It is now considered to beomnivorous in feeding habit. It thrives at altitudes of up to2,000 metres above sea level.

An Angler with Golden Mahseer at Bhakra, HimachalPradesh [Source: Dept. of Fisheries, himchal.gov.in]

The Fisheries Minister Shri Thakur SinghBharmouri informed that after the captive breeding the nextstep would be ranching – the release and recapture of fish– a milestone in aquaculture. He said more than 6,000families in the State are directly depending upon capturefishery. The depleting fish stocks in the rivers would beincreased by releasing hatchery-reared juveniles into naturewhere the stocks multiply to a great extent. They can beharvested when they grow to table size.

The Principal Secretary Shri Sanjay Gupta said that anotherMahseer Hatchery would be set up at Naggar village inKullu district, Himachal Pradesh, this year. This hatcherywould help stocking Mahseer in the newly constructed KolDam Reservoir. Besides rehabilitation and conservation,the breeding technology will give a major boost tocommercial aquaculture.

Himachal Pradesh is aptly termed the storehouse of aquaticbiodiversity. The State’s water bodies are home to 85 fishspecies, including Rohu, Catla, Mrigal and both Brown andRainbow Trout. According to the Fisheries Department theoverall fish production in the State has increased by 9.2percent in the last fiscal. A total of 11,798 tonnes of fishvalued at Rs.109.80 crore was harvested from the State’s

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rivers and reservoirs in 2015-16, 1,062 tonnes higher thanthe previous year.

Being a game fish, the Mahseer is also an angler’s delight.It is acclaimed as a world famous, outstanding game andfood fish of India. As a sport fish, it provides unparalleledrecreation to anglers from all over the world, better thansalmon. It is known as a tiger in waters, because of thefight it musters to wriggle off the hook.

[Source: IANS: 28 July 2016; http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/shimla; Ogale, S.N., ColdWater Fisheries in the Trans-Himalaya: FAO CorporateDocument Repository]

8.2 Aquaculture & Fishery Industry StakeholdersConsultation Meeting held at Bhimavaram, AndhraPradesh

The Marine Products Export Development Authority(MPEDA) organized Aquaculture & Fishery IndustryStakeholders Consultation Meeting on 15 July 2016 atBhimavaram, West Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh. ShriG. Ganga Raju, Hon’ble MP, Shri P. Ramanjeneyulu,Hon’ble MLA, Shri A. Jayathilak, Chairman, MPEDA, ShriK. Bhaskar, Collector & District Magistrate, W.G. district,Dr. P. Paul Pandian, FDC, Govt. of India, Shri Rama SankarNaik, Commissioner of Fisheries, Andhra Pradesh, ShriJayaraman, Director (Tech), CAA, Shri V. Padmanabhan,President, Sea Food Export Association of India, ShriViswanadha Raju, Shri L. Satyanarayana, President,AISHA, Shri T. Satyanarayana Raju, and Shri Shanmugan,CEO, NaCSA, attended. Dr. Bimal Kinkar Chand, E.D(Tech) and Dr. M. Persis, S.E (Tech) participated on behalfof NFDB.

Aquaculture & Fishery Industry Stakeholders ConsultationMeeting held on 15 July 2016 at Bhimavaram, WestGodavari district, Andhra Pradesh

The Hon’ble MP and MLA while appreciating the effortsof the stakeholders of Andhra Pradesh for their contributionto fisheries expressed their concern for the problems beingfaced by them and assured their support in solving them.Shri Rama Sankar Naik, Commissioner of Fisheries, AndhraPradesh, highlighted the need for establishment of SeabassHatchery, Mudcrab Hatchery, AQF & BMC for shrimp andfinfish, Insurance to Aquafarmers, marketing of Tilapiaproduced through cage culture, modernization of fishingharbours, supply of solar pump sets, etc.

Representatives of Aquafarmers and Exporters explainedtheir problems in obtaining the required quantity of qualityseed, feed at the appropriate time, lack of properinfrastructure facilities, market linkages, required reliablediagnostic facilities and credit facilities. They requestedfor certification of aquaculture inputs as they are beingasked for certification of their produce for marketing andexporting.

District Collector and Magistrate, West Godavari, assuredthat permissions for aquaculture farms will be speeded upas they have taken up on-line system and suggested ClusterFarming to develop pockets of areas as Aquaculture Zoneand leave certain areas for Agriculture, so that the Aqua-zones can be provided necessary infrastructure facilitiesand permissions can also be issued easily. He furthersuggested productivity-enhancement rather than area-expansion, farmer–buyer interactive meetings to resolvemarketing issues and providing insurance, cheap credit andinterest subvention.

Chairman, MPEDA mentioned that proposal has beensubmitted for establishing Nuclear Breeding Centre (NBC)at Kanyakumari and 5 Broodstock Multiplication Centres(BMCs) under Make in India and that AquacultureQuarantine Facility (AQF) will be established atVisakhapatnam. Sample collection and testing on farmswith Kits will be taken up by MPEDA, and district–wisemeeting with Collectors and all Departmental officers willbe organized shortly to resolve the issues.

8.3 NFDB participates in ‘20th India InternationalSeafood Show - 2016’ at Visakhapatnam, AndhraPradesh

The India International Seafood Show (IISS) is a biennialand one of the largest Seafood Fairs in Asia. The ‘20th IndiaInternational Seafood Show – 2016’ was held from 23 to25 September 2016 at Port Trust Diamond Jubilee Stadium,

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NFDB Stall at the Seafood Show (above) and the same beinginaugurated by Shri Arjilli Dasu of Fisherfolk Foundationin presence of the Chief Executive and others (below), atVisakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh

Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. The event was jointlyorganized by the MPEDA and the Seafood ExportersAssociation of India, and the Export Inspection Council ofIndia, Govt. of India, was the Knowledge Partner.

This show is a common forum for SeafoodProcessors Exporters, Importers, Processing Machinerymanufacturers, Aquaculturists and allied industries to meet

under one roof. The show attracted a large number ofseafood trading people from India and abroad and enabledthem to find out suitable means of strengthening the seafoodtrade for mutual benefits and to explore further possibilityin strengthening the trade relation.

The NFDB put up a stall and displayed to the visitingdignitaries, officials, exporters, entrepreneurs, shrimp andfish farmers and fishers the various activities and schemesundertaken. Shri K.N. Kumar, Chief Executive, NFDBparticipated in one of the Technical Sessions and delivereda talk.

Shri K.N. Kumar, Chief Executive, NFDB addressing theparticipants in the Technical Session at the Seafood Showat Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh

9. NFDB News

9.1 NFDB commences publishing Hindi Version ofthe Newsletter ‘Matsya Bharat’

To fulfill the Fisheries & Aquaculture information needsof the stakeholders in the Hindi-speaking States of theCountry, NFDB initiated publishing the Newsletter ‘MatsyaBharat’ in the National Language Hindi too, beginning fromJanuary-March 2016 Issue (Volume 7, Issue 5). It is beingdistributed across 10 States in the northern part of thecountry.

Two issue of the Hindi version of NFDB Newsletter MatsyaBharat

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9.2 New-Look NFDB Webpage launched

A New-Look Webpage of NFDB Website nfdb.gov.in waslaunched on the occasion of Independence Day on 15August 2016 by Shri K.N. Kumar, Chief Executive, NFDB.The Website was redesigned, updated, new features addedand for the first time besides English, Hindi WebPages werealso incorporated.

The New-Look Webpage of NFDB Website nfdb.gov.inlaunched on 15 August 2016 both in English and Hindilanguages

9.3 Principal Secretary, AHDD&F andCommissioner of Fisheries, Govt. of Telangana Statevisit NFDB

The existing premises of NFDB, Hyderabad, are situatedon a parcel of 5 Acre land leased by the erstwhile AcharyaN.G. Ranga Agricultural University (ANGRAU) inRajendranagar, Hyderabad. Construction of OfficeBuilding, Staff Quarters, etc., was completed during theyear 2012 and the entire 5 Acre land is completely utilisedfor the functional purpose of NFDB. Subsequently, the landarea has come under the control of Telangana StateVeterinary University.

Shri Suresh Chanda, Principal Secretary AHDD&Fchairing the Meeting and Shri K.N. Kumar, Chief Executivemaking a presentation to the visiting Telangana State Govt.and Veterinary University Officials

The NFDB activities are sought to be expanded furtherduring the 12th Plan period, under the newly announcedCentral Sector Scheme on Blue Revolution, and thereforean extent of 10 Acre additional land was requested to beallotted on long term basis or on outright transfer basis. Inthis connection on 20 June 2016 Shri Suresh Chanda,Principal Secretary AHDD&F, along with Shri SanjayKumar, Commissioner of Fisheries, Govt. of Telangana,and Registrar, Deans and Directors of the Telangana StateVeterinary University visited NFDB and held discussionswith the Officials. Shri K.N. Kumar, Chief Executive,NFDB made a presentation and explained the need for anadditional 10 Acre land for expanding NFDB activities.The team went round the campus and examined the vacantland adjacent to the NFDB campus that is under thepossession of the Telangana State Veterinary University.

Shri Suresh Chanda, Principal Secretary, AHDD&F(second from left), Shri Sanjay Kumar, Commissioner ofFisheries (middle), Shri K.N. Kumar, Chief Executive(second from right) and Executive Directors, NFDB, takea look at the land adjoining NFDB premises in

Rajendranagar, Hyderabad

9.4 Govt. of Bihar Secretary Animal & FisheriesResources Dept. and Director of Fisheries, interactwith Chief Executive, NFDB

Ms. N. Vijayalakshmi, Secretary, Animal & FisheriesResources Department and Shri Nishant Ahmed, Directorof Fisheries, Govt. of Bihar visited NFDB on 16 August2016 and interacted with Shri K.N. Kumar, Chief Executiveand discussed with other officials of NFDB regarding theprojects launched in Bihar with NFDB assistance and theprojects proposed under the Central Sector Scheme on BlueRevolution.

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Ms. N. Vijayalakshmi, Secretary, A&FR Dept., and ShriNishant Ahmed, Director of Fisheries, Govt. of Bihar,discussing with Shri K.N. Kumar, CE, and other Officialsat NFDB, Hyderabad

9.5 Uttar Pradesh MLA of Gopamau Constituency,Hardoi district, visits NFDB

Shri Shyam Prakash, Hon’ble MLA, GopamauConstituency (Hardoi district) of Uttar Pradesh visitedNBDB, Hyderabad on 21 July 2016 and held discussionswith Dr. B. K. Chand, Executive Director (Tech) and Dr.Radheyshyam, Senior Consultant (Fisheries) about theSchemes and new Guidelines under “Central Sector Schemeon Blue Revolution: Integrated Development andManagement of Fisheries”. He expressed that individualfish farmers in his Constituency in Hardoi area of U.P. wereinterested in constructing fish ponds with financialassistance from NFDB. He also expressed interest inestablishing Pangasius sutchi Fish Hatchery with NFDBfunding to cater to the needs of the Pangas fish farmers ofthe area. Copies of NFDB Newsletter, Matsya Bharat(Volume 7, Issue 5) were given to him, wherein activitiespertaining to NFDB funded project undertaken byfishermen of Matsya Jivi Sahakari Samiti in hisConstituency (Hardoi district, Uttar Pradesh) were covered.

Shri Shyam Prakash, Hon’ble MLA, GopamauConstituency, Hardoi district, UP (right) interacting withOfficials at NFDB Hyderabad

9.6 Solar-Wind-Hybrid Power Generating Unitinstalled at NFDB

A Solar-Wind-Hybrid Power Generating Unit was installed,atop one of the buildings in NFDB Office Complex, during09 – 15 July 2016. Trial run has begun and the powergenerated and stored is being used for street lighting, etc.in the NFDB premises. This non-conventional energysource is expected to reduce the electricity consumptionfrom the grid source.

The Solar Panels and WindTurbine (above) and thePower Storage & InverterUnit (below) installed atopStaff Quarters Building inthe premises of NFDB,Hyderabad

9.7 In-house Training Programme on MS OfficeExcel conducted at NFDB

With a view to refresh/upgrade knowledge and skill of theNFDB Officers and Technical Staff on MS Office Excelthat is extensively used in the preparation of Spread Sheetsfor compiling various types of data and its retrieval forpurpose of analysis/ presentation/ publication, etc., an ‘In-house Training Programme on Advanced MS-Excel’ wasconducted in three spells on 27th, 29th June and 1st July 2016between 04:30 and 05:30 PM.

During the training sessions MS-Excel functions from basicto advanced level were explained in a nutshell by Shri

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Suman Damisetty, Consultant (Tech), CoordinationDivision, NFDB. The Officers and Technical Staff foundthe exercise useful and many of them started using thevarious techniques of MS Office Excel in their regularadministrative work. As a result, the officials are savinglot of time and are able to generate better quality reports.The techniques learnt are now being applied for scrutinizingthe proposals received under Blue Revolution and RKVYCentral Sector Schemes and the this process is beingcompleted in less than 48 hr from receipt of the file.

9.8 NFDB participates in the ‘Rajbhasha Sammelan’held at NIRD&PR, Hyderabad

A one-day ‘Rajbhasha Sammelan’ was held on 22 August2016 at the National Institute of Rural Development &Panchayati Raj (NIRD&PR), Rajendranagar, Hyderabad,wherein Hindi Officers, Hindi Translators and otheremployees related to Hindi work of the Central GovernmentOffices, Undertakings and Banks of Hyderabad andSecunderabad participated. Smt. Chanda M. Pandit,Registrar & Director (Admin), NIRD&PR, Chaired theInaugural Session. Dr. (Smt.) Kaushalya, O-i-C, HindiTeaching Scheme, was the Chief Guest and Dr. R.M. Pant,NERC, NIRD&PR Guwahati, was the Guest of Honour;Shri C.R. Ramchandran, Retd. Asst. Director (OfficialLanguages) and others participated. Dr. Rajendra KumarSharma, Consultant (Hindi) and Shri T. Ram Raj Reddy,Jr. Consultant (Hindi) at NFDB, were deputed to participate.Eleven Papers were presented in the Seminar by theparticipants.

Participants of the ‘Rajbhasha Sammelan’ held atNIRD&PR, Rajendranagar Hyderabad

9.9 ‘Hindi Sapthah’ observed at NFDB, Hyderabad

The ‘Hindi Sapthah’ (Hindi Week) was observed at theNFDB, Hyderabad from 14 to 21 September 2016. TheInaugural function was chaired by Shri K.N. Kumar, ChiefExecutive, NFDB. Dr. Utpal Kumar Sar, Executive Director(Tech), delivered the welcome address in Hindi. Shri B.V.Balaji, Senior Executive (Admin & Fin), was the convenerwhile Dr. Rajendra Kumar Sharma, Consultant (Hindi) andShri T. Ram Raj Reddy, Jr. Consultant (Hindi) coordinatedand organized the week-long activities. All the Officers,Staff, Consultants and Outsourced Personnel of NFDBparticipated. At the Inaugural Function – ‘Hindi Divas’ on14 September 2016, the song ‘Hindi Bharat Maa Ki Bindi’was played.

The colourful banner put up on the occasion of observing‘Hindi Sapthah’ at NFDB [designed by Shri T. Ram RajReddy, Jr. Consultant (Hindi)]

Literary Competitions in Hindi were conducted among theNFDB Staff (above) and Students of Adarsha High School,Rajendra Nagar and New Brilliant High School, Hyderguda(below), Hyderabad

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Various literary competitions such as reading, writing,

names of common objects, debate and singing all in Hindi,

were conducted among the NFDB Staff as well as among

students at two Schools, viz., Adarsha High School,

Rajendra Nagar and New Brilliant High School, Hyderguda,

Hyderabad.

On the concluding day (21 September 2016) prizes were

distributed to the winners of various literary competitions

– to school children as well as NFDB staff.

9.10 Newly recruited Executive Assistants (Tech)join NFDB

Executive Assistant (Technical) were recruited by theNFDB through a process of National Level Written Test,Group Discussion and Personal Interview. Of the fourselected, one (Mr. Vipin Chandra Nautiyal) joined on 18May 2016 while the remaining three joined as follows:(1) Ms. Meda Aihun Khongjliw – Joined on 16 June 2016.(2) Ms. Sreerenju Hariharan – Joined on 01 August 2016.(3) Ms. M.S. Dorothy – Joined on 12 September 2016.

10. NFDB in the Media

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11. Announcements

11.1 ‘Seagriculture’ Conference in Aveiro, Portugal

The fifth edition of the international seaweed conference

‘Seagriculture’ was held on 27 and 28 September 2016 in

Aveiro, Portugal. The two-day conference program

combined plenary sessions with interactive poster

presentations, networking lunches, an algae-inspired dinner,

a mini trade show, debate sessions, and an excursion to

explore local seaweed cultivation initiatives.

In six plenary sessions, international seaweed experts

discussed seaweed biology, norms and regulation, seaweed

economics, engineering, and high value versus high volume

seaweed production. The program aimed to balance

academic, and industry contributions, to leave delegates

up-to-date on the fast moving developments that occur

throughout the seaweed value chain.

[Source: http://www.thefishsite.com]

11.2 Sixth International Conference of Aquaculture

Indonesia (ICAI) 2016: Kuta-Bali, Indonesia, 27- 29

October 2016

The 6th International Conference of Aquaculture Indonesia

– 2016 (ICAI-2016) is annual international forum for the

aquaculture community – academics, researchers, students,

market and industry analysts, government officials, policy

makers and industry representatives organized and hosted

by Indonesian Aquaculture Society (MAI). This conference

will be a meeting forum and current information sharing

between scientists and business actors in aquaculture

coming from all over Asian Pacific and other countries.

The theme for ICAI-2016 is “Innovations in Aquaculture

Technology for Sustainable Aquaculture in the Future”.

There will be plenary sessions and topics-based parallel

class sessions for the two-day conference. The class

sessions consist of: Diseases & Aquaculture Sustainability;

Aquaculture Management & Technology; Feed

Management & Nutrition; Genetics & Breeding;

Aquaculture Business & Marketing (shrimp, finfish,

seaweed, eel), and Farmers Day & Applied Technology

Forum. International and regional experts in aquaculture

will be invited to deliver keynote addresses during the

conference.

11.3 2016 Aquaponics Conference hosted by Indiana

Aquaculture Association: Kokomo, Indiana, USA, Oct

28 -29 October 2016

The two-day 2016 Aquaponics Conference in Kokomo,

Indiana, USA, hosted by the Indiana Aquaculture

Association, will have many speakers and professors on

the agenda. A tour of the Green River Greenhouse is also

an option for an add-on! Lectures will cover a wide range

of topics, including facilities, equipment, fish nutrition, pest

control, current aquaculture research, species selection,

food safety and much more.

11.4 Second International Congress of Macrobrachium:

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, México, 9-11 November 2016

In an effort to improve the knowledge on the biology,

taxonomy, ecological aspects, genetics, aquaculture and

fisheries of the freshwater prawns of the genus

Macrobrachium , the International Congress of

Macrobrachium is being organized for a second time by

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several educational and research institutions of Mexico to

gather researchers, students and producers who are working

with this group of organisms. The meeting covers several

aspects of Macrobrachium; there would be oral and poster

presentations.

11.5 Second International Congress on Applied

Ichthyology and Aquatic Environment “HydroMediT

2016”: Messolonghi, Greece, EU, 10-12 November 2016

Scope of this International Congress is the presentation of

latest developments, new methods and technologies, trends

and research activities in Greece and abroad and the

exchange of opinions and knowledge. HydroMediT 2016

will focus on research and innovation technology applied

mainly in the Mediterranean and its adjacent waters, but

interesting solutions from other parts of the world will also

be accepted. The main theme of the Congress will be:

“Global Trends and Innovations for the Sustainable

Development of Aquaculture & Fisheries in our Region”.

General Fields of interest will be the following: 1.

Aquaculture, 2. Fisheries, 3. Processing of Aquatic

Products, 4. Economics and Marketing of Fisheries

Products, 5. Environmental Management, 6. Inland Aquatic

Resources.

11.6 Fifth Aquaponics Association Conference – Going

Mainstream: Austin, Texas, USA, 11-13 November 2016

The 2016 Aquaponics Association Conference theme is

“Going Mainstream,” focusing on how Aquaponics can

evolve to become a more well-accepted form of growing

food. The 2016 conference will be held in Austin, Texas, a

location well-known for innovation and adopting new ideas.

The Texas climate is arid and relatively warm year round,

making it an ideal location for considering Aquaponics for

food production, as seen by the successful Aquaponic farms

located in the region. Topics will include marketing the

ecological benefits of Aquaponics, putting together a solid

business case for Aquaponics’ unique blend of aquaculture

and soil-less farming, Aquaponics education, Aquaponic-

focused audits and HACCP plans, and the case for keep

Aquaponics eligible for organic certification.

11.7 FENACAM’16 - Brazilian Farmed Shrimp Fair:

Ceará Convention Centre, City of Fortaleza, Ceará

State, Brazil, 21-24 November 2016

The XIII International Shrimp Farming Symposium, the X

International Aquaculture Symposium, the XIII

International Aquaculture Products and Services Trade

Show and the XIII Seafood Festival will take place on 21-

24 November 2016 In the Ceará Convention Center - in

the city of Fortaleza, Ceará State - Brazil

11.8 Fourth International Conference on Fisheries and

Aquaculture (Fisheries 2016): San Antonio, USA, 28-

30 November 2016

The “4th International conference on Fisheries and

Aquaculture (Fisheries 2016)” is to be held from 28-30

November 2016 San Antonio, USA. Fisheries 2016 will

lay a platform for the interaction between experts around

the world and aims to signify scientific discoveries, ideas

and major milestones in the field of Aquaculture

Technology and Fisheries Science. This conference is

focusing on the theme “Blue Revolution”. It includes

prompt keynote presentations, oral talks, workshop,

symposium, poster presentations and exhibitions.

[Source: www.was.org]

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Table - 1: Training/ Skill Development Programmes Sanctioned by NFDB*

Sl.No State/ UT Implementing Programme Duration No. of No. ofAgency Progrm. Trainees

June-July 2016

1 National Institute of Refresher Training Programme 6 days 1 24

Agricultural Extension for Middle Level Extension

Management (MANAGE) Functionaries of Fisheries

Hyderabad Department on New Dimensions in

Extension Management

2 National Institute of Training Programme for 13 days 1 24

Agricultural Extension Aquapreneurs on Advances

Management (MANAGE) in Fisheries Technology and

Hyderabad Extension Management for

Fisheries Development

3 Bihar, ICAR-ATARI Training Programmes 5 days 22 495

West Bengal Zone-II, Kolkata (20 to 30

trainees

per batch)

4 Goa, ICAR-ATARI Training Programmes 5 days 22 610

Karnataka, Zone-VIII, (20 to 30

Kerala, Bangalore trainees

Puducherry, per batch)

Tamil Nadu

August-September 2016

1 National Institute of Refresher Training Programme for 6 days 2 30

Agricultural Extension the Department Officials and

Management (MANAGE) Scientists from Fisheries Colleges

Hyderabad and KVKs

2 National Institute of Induction Training Programme for 6 days 2 30

Agricultural Extension the Newly Recruited Fisheries

Management (MANAGE) Extension Officers from the State

Hyderabad Department of Fisheries

11.9 Training/ Skill Development Programmes Sanctioned by NFDB

During the period June-July and August-September 2016, NFDB sanctioned Rs. 197.11 lakh towards Training/ Skill

Development Programmes to be conducted by various Implementing Agencies in different States as follows:

Different States

& UTs across

the country

Different States

& UTs acrossthe country

Different States& UTs across

the country


the country

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Sl.No State/ UT Implementing Programme Duration No. of No. of

Agency Progrm. Trainees

3 National Institute of Training Programme for 13 days 2 30

Agricultural Extension Aquapreneurs on Advances in

Management (MANAGE) Fisheries Technology and

Hyderabad Extension Management for

Fisheries Development

4 Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh Skill Skill Development Training 2-3 months 6 1000

Development Corporation Programmes to Youth belonging to

Traditional Fishermen Community

from East Godavari, Srikakulam,

Visakhapatnam and Vizianagaram

districts

5 Punjab, ICAR-ATARI Training/Skill Development 5 days 5 100

Jammu & Kashmir Zone-I, Ludhiana Programme

6 Andaman & ICAR-ATARI Training/Skill Development 5 days 12 285

Nicobar,Bihar, Zone-II, Kolkata Programme

West Bengal

7 Arunachal Pradesh, ICAR-ATARI Training/Skill Development 5 days 50 1410

Assam,Manipur, Zone-III, Umium, Programme

Meghalaya,Tripura Meghalaya

8 Andhra Pradesh, ICAR-ATARI Training/Skill Development 5 days 22 545

Maharashtra, Zone-V, Hyderabad Programme

Telangana

9 Chhattisgarh, ICAR-ATARI Training/Skill Development 5 days 29 920

Madhya Pradesh, Zone-VII, Jabalpur Programme

Odisha,

10 Karnataka ICAR-ATARI Training/Skill Development 5 days 2 60

Zone-VIII, Bengaluru Programme

* Note: The Implementing Agencies are requested to send write-ups, activity photographs (JPEG/ JPG), scanned newspaper

clippings, etc., pertaining to (1) Training/ Skill Development Programmes and (2) Exposure Visits, by E-mail to:

[email protected]


the country

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National Fisheries Development Board(Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying & Fisheries,

Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Govt. of India)Fish Building, Pillar No. 235, P.V. Narsimha Rao Expressway

Sardar Vallabhai Patel National Police Academy (SVP NPA) PostHYDERABAD – 500 052

Ph: 040-24000201; Fax: 040-24015568, 24015552Toll Free Number: 1800-425-1660

Facebook: www.facebook.com/nfdbindia

Website: nfdb.gov.in

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