A government freshwater fish hatchery and aqua park is taking shape at Kulathupuzha panchayat’s Neduvannurkadavu on 10 acres of land.
It is a joint venture of the Kollam district panchayat and the Fisheries Department. The land owned by the Irrigation Department which had been lying idle was taken on lease for the purpose.
The project was mooted by former district panchayat president S. Jayamohan. An allocation of Rs.3.5 crore was made for the project in the 2014-2015 Budget.
Funds sanctioned
After J. Mercykutty Amma took over as Fisheries Minister, she allocated an additional Rs.10 crore for the project. This enabled commencement of the work on the project.
The work is expected to be completed by the end of next year and the initial target is to produce 80 lakh seeds of edible freshwater fish.
The seeds are meant for supply to farmers in the districts of Kollam, Thiruvananthapuram, and Pathanamthitta. Mr. Jayamohan said that under the first phase of the project seeds of pearl spot (karimeen), perch (karipidi or karoop), and catfish (kaari) will be produced.
Second phase
Under the second phase, seeds of freshwater carp varieties will be produced. Through the project, the Fisheries Department is planning freshwater aquaculture in 500 hectares in Kollam district alone.
In addition to that, seeds will also be deposited in inland water sources of the district as part of the measures to augment the fish wealth of these waterbodies. For these purposes more than 60 lakh fish seeds are required.
Mr. Jayamohan said that even the existing aquaculture farms depend upon hatcheries located far away and when the seeds reach the farms a good portion is dead.
The work on the project is being carried out by the Harbour Engineering Department.
The project comprises an aqua park with a large collection of ornamental fishes. People can visit the park and get a firsthand knowledge on a fish hatchery.
