The Agency for Development of Aquaculture Kerala (ADAK) has opened an aqua diagnostic laboratory at Varkala, near Thiruvananthapuram, with the goal of early diagnosis of fish and shrimp infections.
The Kochi-based ICAR–Central Institute of Fisheries Technology has provided training to ADAK officials to improve their technical competence as part of the effort.
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The 5-day workshop was held as part of a consulting agreement between CIFT and ADAK. The establishment of such a facility, according to Ravishankar C N, Director of CIFT, is extremely important because the importance of aquaculture is quickly expanding in the State.
The newly constructed laboratory will be used by government and private sector hatcheries and farms to assess the quality of water in the farms and fish seeds. CIFT’s Microbiology, Fermentation, and Biotechnology (MFB) Division provided the training.
Culture in a cage
ADAK has started stocking fish seed in three of Kerala’s four reservoirs where cage fish cultivation has been approved.
Cage culture in reservoirs, according to ADAK authorities, is one way to boost fish output in the face of diminishing wild capture. The program symbolizes the start of a new era in the state’s aquaculture industry.
The Water Resources Department, KSEB, and the Forest Department have given ADAK permission to start cage culture in Wayanad’s Banasura Sagar and Karapuzha reservoirs, Kozhikode’s Peruvannamuzhi, and Pathanamthitta’s Kakki. All of these reservoirs will be home to the culture of native Pearl Spot, Anabas, and other species.
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Reservoir aquaculture has enormous potential in the state, according to officials, with 47 reservoirs that potentially supplement the income of numerous families.
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