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India
has a vast coastline of 8085 km; a continental shelf of 9.5
km; an extensive Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ: That vertical
zone of the sea which can be commercially exploited by that
country only) of 2.02 million sq. km; about 1.4 m ha of
brackish water area; 1,64,121 km length of rivers and
canals; 1.97 m ha of reservoirs; 2.21 m ha of ponds and
tanks; and 1.29 m ha of beels and oxbow lakes; etc,. With an
immense scope and potential for capture and culture
fisheries.
Production and
Potential
The total fish production in 1991-92 was 4.1
metric tonnes of which the marine sector 1.7metric tonnes.
The potential harvest from marine sources has been estimated
to be 3.9 metric tonnes per annum and the same for inland
water bodies has been estimated to be 4.0 metric tones.
Projections of the domestic market indicate
that by the turn of this century, the annual domestic demand
would go upto approximately 12.5 metric tonnes. Even if we
exploit the potential fully we fall short by about 5-6
metric tonnes by 2000 A.D
The traditional capture fisheries from the
seas and rivers have almost reached maximum sustainable
yield levels and some species like shrimps layer already
being over exploited. Most of the marine catch comes from
the coastal inshore waters upto 50 m deep. There is no
further scope to increase marine fish production unless
operations are extended beyond the 50 m depth zone and this
needs high-cost intensive infrastructure.
The only alternative to bridge the gap
between demand and supply is through the upgradation of
freshwater fish culture.
Composite Fish Farming
In order to obtain high production per ha of
water body, fast growing compatible species of fish with
different feeding habits, or different weight classes of the
same species, are stocked together in the same pond so that
al its ecological niches are occupied by fish. This system
of pond management is called COMPOSITE FISH CULTURE or
POLYCULTURE. The basic principle of composite fish culture
is that when compatible fish of different feeding habits are
stocked together, they secure for themselves in the most
efficient manner, all like requisites available in the pond
for fish production without harming each other.
The most common freshwater fish eaten in
India are the carps which include species like rohu (Labeo
rohita), catla (Catla catla) and mrigal (Cirrhina mrigala).
The general procedure followed in carp fish culture in ponds
is as follows:
The pond in which the fish are grown must be
rid of plants and predators by suing various herbicides.
For an average ton of 1 ha size, after
herbicidal treatments, the bond is fertilizers should be
use; the best combination to use is:
|
Cow dung |
- |
5000 kg/ha |
|
Amm. Sulphate |
- |
75 kg/ha |
|
Single super phosphate |
- |
50 kg/ha |
After this initial fertilization fish fry are
stocked (released) in the pond. The fry are immersed in 3%
salt water for ten minutes before releasing in the pond.
This removes external parasites living on the fish.
Thereafter, every month for 10 months the fertilizers are
used in the following combination.
|
Cow dung |
- |
2000 kg/ha |
|
Amm. Sulphate |
- |
75 kg/ha |
|
Single super phosphate |
- |
50 kg/ha |
The supplementary feeding is done by mustard
oil cake and wheat barn in 1:1 ration
With fertilization and ration given in the
above manner, each fish should grow upto 700 g - 1 kg at the
end of one year.
Different types of fish are used to get the
maximum yield from a certain quantity of water. A
combination 4 to 6 species has been used in experiments
conducted by Central Inland Freshwater Research Institute (CIFRI)
in Cuttack and this way a yield of more than 3000 kg/ha yr
can be expected; although the yield from average ponds
varies from 50-500 kg/ha. Constraints like non-availability
of crucial inputs such as fish seed, feed material and
chemical fertilizers often retard the productivity.
Further, inadequate infrastructural and policy support,
market regulations, and unsuitable tenancy legislation have
slowed the rate of progress.
Recent technological advancements in aquaculture have
brightened the prospects of realising better production
rates per unit area of water. Intensive carp culture
utilising biotechnological tools had enabled to set a target
of 25 t/ha/year. Major thrust areas in biotechnological
innovations are chromosomal manipulation, gene cloning and
transfer, hormone treatment formulation of artificial diet,
cry preservation of gamates and embryos and in vitro
fertilization. These techniques are being used to produce
monosex fish, sterile fish and fish with better growth
rates. In feed formulation, bioprocess engineering
technology including emulsified and polymerised feed
ingredients, micro-encapsulation and growth promoters have
been used. Successful completion of this frontier research
will be high setup towards bridging the gap between demand
and supply of inland fish in our country.
The author
is a Resource Scientist
working
with the Environment
Systems Branch
Development Alternatives
|
Monograph
from UNRISD
The
Reconstruction of Afghanistan : A Chance for Rural
Urban Women
by Hanne
Christensen |
This is study provides a background
to the role of refugee. Afghan women living in
Pakistan. The author draws upon filed work to
explain the position of rural women (of the Pushtun
group) waiting repatriation of Afghanistan. The
study provides a general understanding of the place
of women in traditional Afghan culture, as well as a
vision of how women’s lives and expectations have
been affected by the experience of exile.
The author argues that in planning
and implementing the reconstruction of Afghanistan,
schemes to promote employment, as well as health and
education must be structured in ways which take
women specifically into account. Given
pervasiveness of the institutions of purdah, or
female seclusion, home-based micro-enterprises could
provide appropriate employment opportunities for
many women. Health and education programmes should
similarly include outreach services which allow
women to gather and learn within the setting of
their homes.
In a situation where certain parts of
the population may not move about freely, it is
important to recognize the need for aid programmes
to go to the recipients, rather than simply relying
on people themselves to come forward for
assistance. The research report concludes with a
series of detailed recommendations for rebuilding
rural Afghanistan in ways which should permit the
entire population to benefit.
The United Nations Research Institute for Social
Development (UNRISD) carries out multidisciplinary
studies on the most pressing social problems of
development, in collaboration with its global
network of scholars and research institutes.
Research results are disseminated through
conference, as well as through publication of
research reports and updates, discussion papers and
books. More information and a list of publications
can be obtained by writing to the reference Centre,
UNRISD, Palais des Nations, CH - 1211 Geneva 10,
Switzerland.
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