Announcing her government’s objective to increase inland fish production to 4.5 lakh tonnes from 2.4, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Wednesday said the six fish seed farms in the State would be modernised at a cost of Rs. 13.65 crore.
These fish seed farms run by the Tamil Nadu Fisheries Department are in Bhavanisagar in Erode, Akarapettai and Tirumangalakottai in Thanjavur, Nallikottai in Tiruvarur, Manjalaru in Theni and Manimuthar in Tirunelveli district.
“The modernisation will pave the way for production of two crore fishlings,” Ms. Jayalalithaa said in a suo motu statement in the Assembly. As far as marine fisheries is concerned, she said five fish landing centres with auction halls, net repair centre, cold storage facilities will come up at Pulicat in Tiruvallur district, Jambavanodai in Tiruvarur district, Karaiyurtheru in Thanjavur, Kombuthurai in Thoothukudi and Morpanai in Ramanathapuram district. The total fund allocation for these centres is Rs 9.77 crore and they could safely house 1,379 country boats.
Ms. Jayalalithaa said natural disasters such as tsunami, and cyclones had filled the mouth of harbours and estuaries of rivers with sand and Rs. 18.30 crore would be spent to desilt. “In the current year, fishing harbours at Muthunagar in Cuddlaore, Pazhaiyar and Nagapattinam in Nagapattinam district and river mouths of Vellaru in Cuddalore and Pazhaiyar and Vettaru in Nagapattinam district will be desilted.”
