State’s first mussel and sea fish hatchery to come up at Puthiyangadi

The facility aims to produce 50 lakh mussel seeds a year

Fisheries Minister J. Mercykutty Amma has said construction work on the fish landing centre at Puthiyangadi will begin by December.

The Minister was inaugurating the construction of Kerala’s first mussel and sea fish hatchery at Puthiyangadi through videoconferencing. She said that with the help of technology, a direct hatchery for production of mussel and seafood was becoming a reality in Kannur.

Ms. Mercykutty Amma said the government was giving due consideration to the Malabar region when it came to coastal development activities. The opening of the hatchery in the Malabar region where mussel farming is most prevalent will be a great leap in the sector.

She said quality seeds were being produced through research with the help of the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI). The hatchery aims to produce 50 lakh sea fish and 50 lakh mussel seeds a year, the Minister said, adding that it would be raised to one crore.

In view of the declining availability of fish in the State, several schemes are being implemented under the Department of Fisheries to enhance fish production. A major issue facing fish farmers is poor availability of quality fish seed. It is mostly supplied to farmers from other States or drawn directly from waterbodies, she observed.

The marine fish seed production centre will be set up at Puthiyangadi to ensure availability of quality fish seed to farmers. The construction of the centre will be carried out by the Kerala Coastal Development Corporation. The aim is to make the project a reality within 10 months. The fish seed centre will be set up at a cost of ₹5 crore.

The hatchery covers an area of ​​1208.6 square metres for seed production and rearing, 133-metre-long drainage system, an FRP tank with a capacity of 30 tonnes, and other modern facilities.

T.V. Rajesh, MLA, laid the foundation stone for the hatchery. Rajmohan Unnithan, MP, was the chief guest. District Panchayat President K.V. Sumesh and Kalyassery block panchayat president V.V. Preetha were also present.