Deputy Speaker Mandali Buddha Prasad on Sunday promised to take the initiative to help involve the fisher folk in the cultivation of high-valued fish species through the floating cage technology.
Mr. Buddha Prasad inspected the cage cultivation adopted by progressive farmer Lanka Raghu Sekhar in the Krishna.
At least two tones of Asian sea bass and silver pompano was harvested in the 12 m x 12 m cage installed in the river before its confluence with the Bay of Bengal.
The Indian Council of Agriculture Research’s Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), Visakhapatnam, has experimented on the cage cultivation in the Krishna under the aegis of Mr. Sekhar.
Addressing the gathering of progressive aqua farmers, CMFRI’s Mariculture division head (in-charge) Imelda Joseph said that the CMFRI was keen on encouraging farmers to reap the benefits of cage cultivation.
“We have plans to encourage and support cage cultivation in Andhra Pradesh,” said Ms. Imelda.
CMFRI Visakhapatnam head Sudeep Gosh and other experts documented the growth and various brackish water parameters for extensive cultivation of the list of fish species through the floating cage method.
Research centre
T.V. Ramana, dean, Fisheries Department, Sri Venkateswara Veterinary University, Tirupati, said that he would recommend to the university to set up a ‘brackish water research centre’ at the M.V.K.R. Fisheries Polytechnic College in Bhavadevarapalli of Nagayalanka mandal in Krishna district.
Students of the college have been studying the floating cage cultivation method since long.
