Institute guides youth on livelihood in fishing

A group of young fishermen from Kovalam, near Mahabalipuram, have started earning income by culturing sea bass off Kovalam beach, along the east coast.

This is thanks to the intervention of the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), which has introduced them to the harvesting of fish cultured in open sea cages.

Talking to

The Hindu , Joe Kizhakudan, scientist and officer in-charge of the Kovalam field laboratory of the CMFRI, said there is a great demand for the sea bass species. The open sea cages in Kovalam have been set up to culture sea bass and are primarily meant to be used in a game resort, where members can practise fishing as a sport.

Dr. Kizhakudan said the demand for the species was not only from these fishing game resorts, but also from hotels where live fish trading is picking up.

Authorities introduced nearly 1,500 hatchlings in the cages in April this year that have now grown up to 500 grams. On Tuesday, the fishes were harvested live and transported to a farm in Thiruporur. At the farm, they can be caught using a soft hook and line, and then released back in to the waters.

Speaking of the farm, Prithiviraj Manivelu, consultant of the Thiruporur Game Fishing Farms, said cultured sea bass were bought at Rs. 400 per kilogram. Nearly 600 kg of sea bass were caught in the first harvest, he said.

The farm, which is spread over four acres of land, houses different types of ponds for the various species of fish. Once the fish grew to a weight of a kilogram, they planned to release them back into their natural habitat, he said.

K. Vijayakumaran, scientist in-charge, CMFRI, Chennai, said this was the first time such an attempt had been made to culture fish for a game resort.