The Tamil Nadu Dr. J. Jayalalithaa Fisheries University (TNJFU) has been sanctioned land in Tiruchi district for establishing a freshwater ornamental fish brood bank for sustainable aqua farming.
The district administration has understandably granted enter upon permission to the university to establish the State’s seventh Centre for Sustainable Aquaculture on a 50-acre site near Jeeyapuram. In the next phase, more land will be required for establishing a fish farm, the Director of Directorate of Sustainable Aquaculture (DCeSA), Thanjavur, J. Stephen Sampath Kumar said.
The six other CeSAs under the control of the university's Directorate of Sustainable Aquaculture exist at Soorakkotai in Thanjavur district, Mandapam in Ramanathapuram district, Ganapathipuram and Prakkai in Kanniyakumari district, Barur in Krishnagiri district, and Bhavanisagar in Erode district.
The Directorate, a nodal agency for implementing the TN irrigated Agriculture Modernisation Program until 2023, has been providing on- campus and off-campus training programmes regularly for the benefit of the farmers, entrepreneurs, women SHG members, fisher women, and rural unemployed youth on freshwater fish farming, carp seed production, ornamental fish farming, and preparation of value-added fishery products.
The Thanjavur centre grew into a production centre with fish production and marketing through retail sale outlet (Kayalaham). Last year, the Kayalaham sales outlet was started in the campus of Fisheries College and Research Institute, Ponneri, for sale of fish products: Masala Flavour Nethili dried fish, plain Nethili dried fish, prawn pickle, dried prawn(big), Fish & Prawn kurkure and other products.
Formed to enhance aquaculture production in the State, the DCeSA is mandated with the tasks of developing and running the production centres at outstations of the University for the benefit of conducting research and experiential learning of the students; establishing new stations with focus on economically important species for the development of culture technology for adoption, establishing and running farms in the strategic locations and forming platforms for the students and staff research; and transferring the viable technologies through demonstration and training to the stakeholders.
Last year, the DCeSA had trained close to 400 persons in basic shrimp culture techniques, application of electronic equipment in fishing, basic techniques in ornamental fish culture and breeding, and basic pre and post processing techniques for fish processing workers.
Earlier this year, the TNJFU signed a MoU with National Fisheries Development Board, Hyderabad, paving way for the former to function as a Regional Training Centre to conduct various skill training in fisheries.
