Fresh water, brackish and

marine water fish culture

 Catla catla (Catla)

 Labeo rohita (Rohu)

 Cirrhinus mrigala (Mrigala)

 Cyprinus carpio (Common carp)

 Ctenopharyngodon idella (Grass carp)

 Hypophthalmichthys molitrix (Silver carp)

 b) Air breathing fishes

 Giant murrel, striped murrel, spotted

murrel, Magur and Singhi are the air
breathing fish available for culture.

 Airbreathing fish are the second most

popular group of fish cultured in
freshwaters.
 Giant Murrel, (Channa marulius)

 Striped Murrel, (Channa striatus)

 Spotted Murrel, (Channa punctatus)

 Magur or Indian cat fish (Clarias batrachus)

 Singi, (Heteropneustes fossilis)

 Barali or freshwater shark fish (Wallago attu)

 c) Crustaceans (Prawns)
 Giant freshwater prawn ( Macrobrachium
rosenbergii) and the Indian River prawn
(Macrobrachium malcolmsonii) are the two
species of crustaceans suitable for culture.
 They are highly priced, fast growing species
suitable for export
 Giant
freshwater prawn ( Macrobrachium
rosenbergii)

 Indian
river prawn (Macrobrachium
malcolmsonii)
 e) Coldwater fish

 The Mahseers and the exotic trouts are

species available for cold water fish culture
 Species Mahseers suitable for culture are
Tor putitora; T. tor, T. khudree, T. mosal and
T. malabaricus
 The snow trout Schizothorax sp and minor
carps such as Labeo dero and L. dyocheilus
are also suitable coldwater species.
 As carp culture forms the backbone to
freshwater aquaculture practice in India.
 Carp culture in India was restricted to as
homestead backyard pond activity in West
Bengal and Orissa until late 1950s, with seed
from riverine sources as the only input
resulting in low level of production.
 Importance of fish culture as an economically
promising enterprise was gradually
implemented in India.
 By then, non-availability of quality fish seed and
lack of scientific culture know-how constrained
the growth and further development of carp
culture.
 The technological breakthrough in
induced breeding of carps through
hypophysation in 1957 revolutionalized
freshwater aquaculture of the country.
 With assured supply of quality seed, the
techniques of seed rearing and grow-out
culture of carps had undergone faster
development and refinement through
research and development made by the
Pond Culture Division of the CIFRI and
Government of India respectively.
 Project on 'Composite Culture of Indian and
Exotic Fishes' initiated by the CIFRI during 1971
virtually laid the foundation for scientific carp
farming in the country by demonstrating high
production levels of 8–10 tonnes/ha/yr.
 Subsequently, three more on 'Spawn
Prospecting', 'Air-breathing Fish Culture' and
'Brackish water Fish Culture' were launched.
 With the ready availability of hormone
formulations, the production of carp seed
through induced breeding led to a tremendous
boost and subsequently, riverine seed
collection and bundh breeding became out of
date.
 Carp culture, thereupon, during the late
1980s has expanded its dimensions in
terms of area coverage and intensity of
operation, with Andhra Pradesh, Punjab,
Haryana, Maharashtra, and other part of
country etc., taking up fish culture as a
commercial farming enterprise.
 The research and development efforts
during the last six decades have placed
carp farming as an important economic
enterprise as a fast growing industry.
 The culture systems adopted in the country vary
greatly depending on the input available in any
particular region as well as on the investment
capabilities of the farmer.
 With the understanding of the biological basis
of fish production, a series of systems are
available with varying levels of inputs and
outputs, and these can be categorized as
 low,
 medium and
 high input technologies.
 In addition, in India, the other types of fish
culture also includes Sewage-fed fish culture
which is not new as far as India is concerned.
It is estimated that at present there are more
than 130 wastewater aquaculture units in
India covering about 10 000 ha.
 Almost 80 percent of these are located in
West Bengal, where sewage is extensively
used as a fertilizer for fish pond.
 In this culture practice, before stocking,
bheries are dried up and sewage is allowed
to enter bheri.
 After stabilization of effluents and after
observing the plankton population, the
bheries are stocked with advanced fingerlings
@ 7 000–10 000/hectare.
 Normally, multiple stocking and multiple
harvesting is adopted in bheries and fish are
reared for 3–5 months, depending on the
growth of the fish to reach a marketable size
of 250–400 grams.
 In addition there is running water fish
culture, wherein, the water from hill-
streams/rivers are made to flow through a
series of dug-out embankment ponds
constructed along the course of the
stream/river using diversion canals/pipes.
 This helps maintain a mild water flow
through the culture ponds.
 Screens of fine meshed nets are erected
at the inlet and outlet of the ponds to
prevent the entry and escape of
organisms to and from the ponds such
culture is called race way culture.
 Carp production in India: Present status and prospects
 World freshwater fish farming produced a total of about 55
million tonnes in 2014-15.
 The main fish family in production was the Cyprinidae (carp
family).
 India is the second largest producer in the world, a long way
behind to China.

 As the second largest country in aquaculture
production, the share of inland fisheries and
aquaculture has gone up from 46 percent in
the 1980s to over 85 percent in recent years
in total fish production.
 Freshwater aquaculture showed an
overwhelming ten-fold growth from 0.37
million tonnes in 1980 to 4.03 million tonnes
in 2010; with a mean annual growth rate of
over 6 percent.
 Freshwater aquaculture contributes to over
95 percent of the total aquaculture
production.
 Brackish water aquaculture
Brackish water aquaculture in India, though a
traditional practice in “bheries” (manmade
impoundments in coastal wetlands) of West
Bengal
 “Pokkali” (salt resistant deepwater paddy)
fields along the Kerala coast, the scientific
farming in the country has been initiated only
in early 1990s.
 In the traditional system of culture, tidal water
is impounded in the inter-tidal mudflats by
raising bunds.
 Tidal water with all assorted fish and shrimp
seed is allowed to enter through sluice-gates
during spring tides.
 Harvesting of marketable sized fish and
shrimp is done regularly during spring tides
through traps placed near the sluice gates.
There is no manuring and feeding.
 The significance of the country's
extensive brackish water ecological
system, consisting of the various swamps,
inland bays, lagoons, lakes, backwaters
and estuaries along the entire coastline of
India.
 The brackish waters are areas of
confluence of fresh water and sea water
and the salinity ranges from 5 to 27 ppt.
The Brackish water aquaculture is also
known as Coastal Aqua culture.
 Brackishwater Resources of India
a. Estuaries
b. Coast Line
c. Backwater
d. Mangroves
e. Lagoons
 There are about 3.9 million ha of estuaries
and 3.5 million ha of brackishwater areas
available in the country.
 It is estimated that about 1.2 million ha
coastal area suitable for development of
brackishwater aquaculture is available.
 In addition to this, around 8.5 million ha salt
affected areas are available in the country.
 Out of this, about 2.6 million ha area which
are unsuitable or marginally suitable for
agriculture can be utilized for, brackishwater
aquaculture.
 The coastal mangrove areas is estimated
around 0.5 million ha. Out of 1.2 million ha
potential area available for brackishwater
farming, around 1, 94,010 ha were under
culture.
 These brackishwater are highly productive
areas, but most of them are unused.
 Brackishwater fin fishes and shell fishes
 Fishes
 Asian Seabass - Lates calcarifer
 Milk Fish - Chanos chanos
 Grey Mullet - Mugil cephalus
 Pearl Spot - Etroplus suratensis
 Cobia / Black king fish - Rachycentron
canadum
 Shellfishes
 Tiger shrimp - Penaeus monodon
 Indian white shrimp - Fenneropenaeus
indicus
 Banana shrimp - Fenneropenaeus
merguiensis
 White leg shrimp -Litopenaeus vannamei
 Red tail shrimp - Fenneropenaeus
penicillatus
 Kuruma shrimp - Marsupenaeus japonicus
 Mud crab - Scylla serrata
 Mud crab - Scylla tranquebarica
 The prawn fishery of the country is supported
by genera like Penaeus, Metapenaeus,
Parapenaeopsis and Solenocra.
 All these prawns are suitable for culture.
 The following 8 species are used mostly for
prawn culture. These are Penaeus monodon,
P. indicus, P. merguiensis, P. semisulcatus,
Metapenaeus dobsoni, M.monoceros, M.
affinis and M. brevicornis.
 This prawn seed is available in plenty on both
east and west coasts. The seed comes along
with high tides and is trapped in mangrove
areas and mud flats of brackishwaters
State-wise details in brackishwater area available under culture and
production for the year 2010

States Total B\W area (ha) Area under culture (ha) Production live weight
(t)

Andhra 1,50,000 66,200 34,075

Pradesh
Goa 18,500 650 500
Gujarat 3,76,000 997 235
Karnataka 8,000 3,540 2,640
Kerala 65,000 14,595 7,290
Maharashtra 80,000 970 700
Orissa 31,600 11,332 5,000
Pondicherry 800 22 20
Tamil Nadu 56,000 670 1,197
West Bengal 4,05,000 42,525 15,121
Total 11,90,900 1,41501 66,778
 Mariculture
 Since the last decade, considerable changes have taken
place in the diversification and production of mariculture in
India.
 Most significant is the emergence of oyster and mussel
farming as a commercial aquaculture programme, and the
production estimate in 2007 was 10 044 tonnes.
 Apart from increased production, India has several new
technological developments like tissue culture of marine
pearls, hatchery techniques for lobsters and ornamental
fishes that have potential to make an impact on the country’s
economical development.
 In India, two species of marine mussels, namely, the green
mussel (Perna viridis) and the Indian brown mussel (P.
indica) are found in rocky coastal areas.
 In addition, commercial production of oysters in
India started during the late nineties and increased
to 2 400 tonnes in 2008.
 The available main oyster species in India
include Crassostrea madrasensis (Indian backwater
oyster), C. gryphoides, C. rivularis and Saccostrea
cucullata and of these, the Indian backwater oyster,
is the most preferred one for farming.
 Experiments were conducted in India to farm clam
species and results have indicated feasibility of
farming them in pen and on bottom methods.
 However, there is no commercial culture of clams,
following strict farming practices, but a method of
semi-culture, whereby fishers stock seed clams,
which occur in the fishery in certain areas to be
harvested later, is followed in some regions.
 As far as marine fish farming is concerned, culture
of Epinephelus, Mugil cephalus, Chanos chanos,
and Etroplus suratensis has been tried, either in
monoculture or in the integrated systems.
 Pen and cage culture of finfish has been tried, but
commercial semi-intensive and intensive farming is
not yet practiced.
 Success has been achieved in the broodstock
development and spawning of greasy
grouper, Epinephelus tauvina, Lates
calcarifer and M.cephalus.
 Out of three, larval rearing technology of Lates
calcarifer has been commercialized.
 Production
 Aquaculture contributed over one third of the
country's total fish production of 9.06 million
tonnes during 2012–2013.
 The total aquaculture production of 4.43
million tonnes was valued at US$ 3.5 billion
of which carp alone was responsible for as
much as 4.18 million tonnes.
  Top five fish producing States in order during
2011-12, 2012-13, 2013-14 & 2014-15

Year Andhra West Gujar Kerala Tamil

Prades Benga at Nadu
h l
2011-12 1603.17 1472.04 783.72 693.21 611.49

2012-13 1675.44 1490.01 848.79 677.78 620.40

2013-14 2018.42 1580.65 793.42 708.65 624.30

2014-15 1964.43 1617.319 809.93 632.25 697.61

6
Name of Total
Capture Culture % Share
Country Production

Total world 8,89,18,040 5,56,80,738 14,45,98,778 53.43

China 1,49,19,596 3,47,79,870 4,96,99,466 34.37

India 40,53,241 37,91,920 78,45,161 5.43

Peru 69,14,452 - 69,14,452 4.78

Indonesia 50,99,355 17,33,434 68,32,789 4.73

Vietnam 22,43,100 25,56,200 47,99,300 3.32

 Epinephelus sppe (Grouper fish)

 Latus clarifer (Sea bass fish)

 Mugil cephalus (Mullet fish)

 Chanos chanos (Milk fish)

 Etroplus surtensis (Pearlspot fish)

 Trachinotus blochii (Silver Pompano)

 Rachycentron canadum (Cobia)
 Crassostrea madrasensis

 Crassostrea cucullata
 Meretrix meretrix

 Meretrix casta
 Perna viridis

 Perna indica
 Scylla serrata (Mud crab)

 Scylla tranquebarica
Sea Bass fish open
sea cage culture
 Open mussel culture
 Clam culture

 Oyster culture
 Tiger shrimp - Penaeus monodon

Indian white shrimp - Fenneropenaeus indicus

 Banana shrimp - Fenneropenaeus merguiensis

 White leg shrimp -Litopenaeus vannamei

“Fish for all
and
forever”