It is estimated that a shift in focus of fish culture, from shell fish to fin fish, will enhance marine products exports to $5 billion by 2010 from the present $1.8 billion.
According to officials of the Prawn Farmers Federation of India, ?Only the lack of diverse species for exportable aquaculture production has kept the Indian aquaculture sector and the earnings from seafood exports stagnant. Fin fishes are the most traded sea food item in the world market.
They are much appreciated for their quality of protein and taste. They are very popular in the Indian domestic market as well.?
It is estimated that there are over 11.9 lakh hectare of brackish land on the east and west coasts of the country. Only less than 15% of the suitable land is being utilised for brackish water aquaculture.
?Even if we develop another 5% of the potential land, (including these abandoned shrimp farms) for fin fish cultivation, we will be able to double the value of aquaculture production and exports. Besides this, some of the fin fishes can be grown in fresh water areas and that would bring all the other states under the potential fold,? IPR Mohan Raju, president and Balasubramaniam V, general secretary of the
federation told FE.
They said that the potential species that could be cultured on these water bodies and also the fresh water ponds in the country with an assured international and national market are sea bass, groupers, cobia, tilapia, cat fish, pompano, and mullets.
A beginning in this direction was made in Karaikal, the Union Territory of Puducherry, recently by the Marine Products Development Authority (MPEDA), ministry of commerce, and the Central Institute of Brackish water Aquaculture, ministry of agriculture, by demonstrating the commercial production of sea bass (a very popular variety of Fin fish) seeds and the farming methodology.