Ornamental fish aquaculture to help women in Lakshadweep islands
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Ornamental fish aquaculture to help women in Lakshadweep islands
Subject : Environment
Section: Places in news
Concept :
- Community-based ornamental fish aquaculture with the use of local resources is expected to help women in the Lakshadweep islands take a step towards self-reliance.
- In a first-of-its-kind experiment, about 82 islanders (77 of them being women) have been selected and they underwent intensive training with technical support from the ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (NBFGR).
- The NBFGR maintains a germplasm resource centre for marine ornamental organisms on Agatti Island for conservation and improving the livelihood sources for the islanders.
- Four cluster-mode community aquaculture units with the participation of women have been set up and the group has been raising ornamental shrimps to marketable size.
- Further, along with the two species of ornamental shrimps, captive-raised clownfish seeds have also been supplied to expand the activity.
- The NBFGR has supplied culture devices such as rearing tubs, aeration tubes, mini blowers, hand nets, feed, beneficial bacteria, and seeds of shrimps and clownfish.
Ornamental Fish Farming
- The culture of ornamental fishes is called as aquaculture.
- Ornamental fish culture is the culture of attractive, colourful fishes of various characteristics, which are reared in a confined aquatic system.
- Farmers and hobbyists mainly grow it. Ornamental fishes are also known as living jewels.
- There are more than 30,000 fish species reported around the world, of this about 800 belong to ornamental fishes.
- Most of the ornamental fishes survive in freshwater.
- They come under eight closely related families namely, Anabantidae, Callichthyidae, Characidae, Cichlidae, Cobitidae, Cyprinodontidae, Cyprinidae and Poeciliidae.
- Ornamental fishes of India are contributing about 1% of the total ornamental fish trade.
- These fishes are exported to the tune of 54 tons, having the value of Rupees 13.08 crores in 2020-21. It registered a growth of 66.55 % in terms of quantity and 20.59% in terms of value in INR.
- The ornamental species are categorized into indigenous and exotic. Availability of a vast number of native species has contributed significantly to the development of ornamental fish industry in the country.
- North-eastern states, West Bengal, Kerala and Tamil Nadu are blessed with potential indigenous species. About 90% of native species (85% are from northeast India) are collected and reared to meet export demand.
- Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal mainly practice ornamental fish farming in India.
- It consists of three major islands. They are ,
- Amindivi Islands (consisting of six main islands of Amini, Keltan, Chetlat, Kadmat, Bitra and Perumul Par). [don’t have to remember all these names]
- Laccadive Islands (consisting of five major islands of Androth, Kalpeni, Kavaratti, Pitti and Suheli Par) and
- Minicoy Island.
- At present these islands are collectively known as Lakshadweep.
- The Lakshadweep Islands are a group of 25 small islands.
- They are widely scattered about 200-500 km south-west of the Kerala coast.
- Amendivi Islands are the northern most while the Minicoy island is the southernmost.
- All are tiny islands of coral origin {Atoll} and are
- They are surrounded by fringing reefs.
- The largest and the most advanced is Lakshadweep Islands the Minicoy island with an area of 4.53 sq km.
- Most of the islands have low elevation and do not rise more than five metre above sea level (Extremely Vulnerable to sea level change).
- Their topography is flat and relief features such as hills, streams, valleys, etc. are absent.
