FINFISH CULTURE DIVISION

Finfish Culture Division (FCD) is contributing towards sustainable Brackishwater aquaculture development through its research, innovation and technology dissemination in India for the last three decades to uplift the farming community of diverse economic background. This division has scientists specialized in the field of captive fish breeding, larval rearing, live feed production, nursery rearing, pond farming, cage farming, ornamental fish breeding and seed rearing of commercially important brackishwater finfishes. The FCD has State-of-Art hatchery facility with RAS (Recirculatory aquaculture system) at Muttukadu Experimental Station (MES) for year-round seed production of seabass under the Indo-French collaborative project. The presence of seven 100 tonne capacity RCC tanks caters to the captive maintenance of broodstock fishes such as seabass, milkfish, grey mullet and Red snapper. Besides, the backyard earthen pond provides additional facility to maintain the ornamental broodstock fishes such as Spotted Scat, Moonfish, and Pearlspot. In, 1997 a breakthrough in captive breeding and seed production of Asian Seabass was achieved for the first time in the country and the technology has been transferred to Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Aquaculture (RGCA) through consultancy in the year 2000. The indoor facility for live feed culture such as microalgae and rotifer assist the year-round fish seed production cycle at MES. Research activities of the division have successfully closed the life cycle of Asian seabass (Lates calcarifer), Milkfish (Chanos chanos), Pearlspot (Etroplus suratensis), Orange chromidae (Etroplus maculatus) and Silver moony (Monodactyus argenteus) in the past years and the technology is available for adoption by stakeholders. A unique, modular breeding system for Pearlspot (Etroplus suratensis) has been designed and standardized for stakeholders to uplift the livelihood status of farmers. The division has demonstrated nursery rearing, pre-grow out, and grow out culture of Asian seabass in different coastal states with the funding support of NFDB. Need-based training are being organized to impart technology of seed production, larval rearing of candidate finfish species to different stakeholders such as farmers, hatchery operators, technicians, academicians and entrepreneurs. Presently, new research activities on maturity induction and reproductive assessment of Grey Mullet (Mugil cephalus), Red Snapper (Lutjanus argentimaculates), and other potential brackishwater ornamental fishes are being carried out. The division envisages achieving diversification of candidate brackishwater finfish species to strive sustainability of brackishwater farming sector while augmenting the income of stakeholders.