Initial attempts to develop freshwater cage aquaculture in India focussed on air breathing catfish and Indian major carps in the Yamuna and Ganga rivers, with later efforts in several large reservoirs. Cage-based aquaculture in inland waters is currently being promoted by some state governments with a view to enhancing fish production. This article examines the history of cage aquaculture in India and some of the factors to be considered in cage design and site selection.
]]>Live mud crab has a high export value and good overseas demand. Over the past fifteen years exports from India have increased, with the introduction of crab fattening practices. Wild-caught seed are held in pens constructed of bamboo screens for several weeks and fed to increase their body weight and hence value. Fattened crabs are onsold to traders exporters, who may air lift them to Singapore and other regional markets for the live restaurant trade.
]]>Aquaponics is a closed-loop system in which the waste water produced from a tank of fish is used as fertiliser to feed a bed of vegetation. In turn, the plant life filters the water through its roots and the cleaned water is returned to the fish tank for reuse. Aquaponics is a form of integrated food production system in which the wastes from one production compartment are used as inputs for others.
]]>Anecdotal evidence suggests that apple snails were first introduced into Timor-Leste as food by migrants, although there is no exact information on when this occurred. The first reported damages to rice crops from the snails was around 1985 in the south and west. There is an urgent need for systematic surveys on the areas invaded and the rice crop losses. Synthetic molluscicide formulations are used to control snail populations, along with a variety of non-chemical management interventions.
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