Community-based ornamental fish aquaculture, using local resources, is expected to help women in the Lakshadweep islands to take the first step towards self-reliance through concerted activities.
In what is being described as the first-of-its-kind experiment, as many as 82 islanders, 77 of them women, were selected and underwent intensive training. They have formed groups for ornamental fish aquaculture with technical support from the ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (NBFGR).
Helping the islanders, especially women, generate income is important considering that the islands have limited resources, mostly in the form of coconut and tuna fish. Fishing virtually comes to a halt during the monsoon season, shutting out a key economic activity. However, ornamental fish aquaculture is expected to sustain the rhythm of economic life in the islands, said sources in the NBFGR on Thursday.
The NBFGR maintains a germplasm resource centre for marine ornamental organisms on Agatti Island for conservation as well as boosting livelihood sources for the islanders. The support being extended by the NBFGR includes capacity building and hand-holding community aquaculture units maintained by local women to raise captive-bred marine ornamentals, including shrimps, to marketable size.
Four cluster-mode community aquaculture units with the participation of 46 women were created, and the group has successfully been raising ornamental shrimps to marketable size, and they have completed four cycles to generate substantial income. To expand the activity and enhance the income of women, in addition to the two species of ornamental shrimps, captive-raised clownfish seeds were also supplied to the groups for further rearing.
U.K. Sarkar, Director, NBFGR, said culture devices (rearing tubs, mini blower, aeration tubes, stones, hand net, feed, and beneficial bacteria) along with the seeds of shrimp (Thor hainanensis) newly reported from Indian waters by the NBFGR and Anylocaris brevicarpalis and clownfish had been supplied.
Forty-six women beneficiaries from the four clusters of Agatti island received the materials and stocked the animals in their units for further rearing. The NBFGR project team on Agatti island will monitor the units and provide technical inputs, till the organisms reach the marketable size, sources added.
The experiment in community-based breeding and sale of ornamental fish have been turned into an environment-friendly one, using coconut fronds and leaves as well as deploying solar panels.
