Constraints in fish farming practices in Uttar Pradesh, India: an analysis

Aquaculture can be considered as a rapidly growing sector in many Indian states including Uttar Pradesh. The impressive overall upward trend in fish production is likely to continue in future years as there are plenty of unutilized or underutilized fishery resources in the state. In spite of the growing popularity of aquaculture in the state, fish farmers have been experiencing financial, social and technical constraints in fish farming practices. These constraints are adversely affecting farmers in obtaining expected fish yields and income. In this study, the most common problem areas were identified, analysed and ranked on the basis of farmers' perception.

Production and economic return in pangasiid catfish (Pangasius hypophthalmus) monoculture and polyculture with silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) in farmers' ponds

The production of fish and net economic return in pangasiid catfish (Pangasius hypophthalmus) monoculture and polyculture with silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) in farmers' ponds were assessed. The experiment was arranged in three treatments each with three replications. The ponds were stocked with 30,000 fishes per hectare. In treatment 1 (T1) pangasiid catfish only, in treatment 2 (T2) pangasiid catfish and silver carp at the ratio of 1:1, and in treatment 3 (T3) pangasiid catfish and silver carp at the ratio of 2:1 were stocked. At harvest, production of fish was found significantly (p<0.05) different among the treatments, highest in T1 and lowest in T2. Though the total biomass production and total economic return was significantly highest in T1 than in T2 and T3, the net economic return was lowest because of the required highest input costs especially for supplemental feed and fingerlings, resulted the highest cost per unit yield (CPY in Tk/kg) in T1. Highest cost for supplemental feed required in T1 was due to highest quantity of feed required for the highest number of pangasiid catfish stocked in that treatment. The findings of the present study suggest that though monoculture of pangasiid catfish give higher fish biomass production but polyculture with silver carp is environmentally good and economically profitable.

Economic analysis of carp based culture technologies in selected areas of Bangladesh

Six carp based culture technologies such as, carp-pangas, carp polyculture, carp-golda, pangas monoculture, golda monoculture and nursery have been selected to determine the cost and returns of respective technologies in Bangladesh. The sample farmers selected for these technologies were 55, 100, 65, 50, 51 and 55 respectively and thus the total sample size stood at 376. The study covered 7 districts of Bangladesh, namely, Mymensingh, Bogra, Noakhali, Comilla, Jessore, Khulna and Bagerhat. Both primary and secondary data were used for this study. It was found that farmers used a good number of feeds for the selected technologies and they maintained no standard doses for them. Remarkable differences were found among the prices of different feeds and other inputs used for different technologies in different locations. Prices of all inputs were found to be increasing and this increase was more in recent years compared to previous years. Though all the technologies were found to be profitable, the feed situation was not satisfactory. Except rice polish all the local feeds showed deficit in supply to meet the national demand for the country. If this situation persists and no proper measures are taken to secure the local feed supply, the present development of supplementary feed-based aquaculture would be fully dependent on imported feeds and would not be sustainable in future. This study strongly suggests the corresponding authority to handle the matter with proper attention considering its significant livelihood impact on the economy of the country.

Shifting rice farming to fish culture in some selected areas of Mymensingh, Bangladesh: the process, conflicts and impacts

The evolutionary process of converting low-lying paddy fields into fish farms and its impact on agrarian communities in some selected areas of Mymensingh district were studied. This study was conducted through participatory rural appraisal (PRA) covering 12 villages from each of selected upazillas viz. Fulpur and Haluaghat of Mymensing [sic] district. A total of 12 PRA sessions were conducted where 90 farmers participated during 29 July to 26 August 2004. It is seen that the use of low-lying paddy fields was mostly confined to Broadcast Aman (B. Aman) rice production until 1960s. With the introduction of modern rice farming technology, the farmers started to produce Boro rice in Rabi season and B. Aman rice in Kharif season. With the passage of time, aquaculture technologies have been evolved and the farmers realized that fish farming is more profitable than rice cultivation, and then they started to utilize their paddy fields for alternate rice-fish farming and rice-cum-fish farming. Now a days, aquaculture based crop production system is in practice in more than 25% of the low-lying paddy fields. Conversion of rice fields in to fish ponds has brought up a change in the livelihood patterns of the rural farmers. The areas where the farmers involved themselves in the new production systems were fingerling collection, transportation and marketing of fry and fingerlings. During 1960s to 1970s, a few people used to culture fish in the permanent ponds for their own consumption, the species produced were rohu, catla, mrigal, ghainna, long whiskered catfish, freshwater shark (boal), snake head (shol) etc. Small fishes like climbing perch, stinging catfish, walking catfish, barb, minnows etc. were available in the rice fields during monsoon season. In 1980s to mid 1990s, some rice fields were converted into fish ponds and the people started to produce fish for commercial purposes. When rice-fish farming became profitable, a large number of people started converting their rice fields in to rice-fish culture ponds. Culture of some exotic fishes like silver carp, tilapia, grass carp, silver barb etc. also started in the paddy fields. Higher income from fish farming contributed positively in improving the housing, sanitation and education system in the study areas. It is seen that the medium and medium high lands were only used for alternate rice fish farming. The net income was high in any fish based cropping system that motivated the farmers to introduce fish based cropping system in the low-lying inland areas. As a result, the regional as well as communal income disparities occurred. However, the extraction of ground water became common during the dry period as the water was used for both rice and fish farming. Mass conversion of paddy fields into rice-fish culture ponds caused water logging in the study areas. In most cases, the participated farmers mentioned that they could be easily benefited by producing fish with T. Aman or only fish during the monsoon season. They agreed that this was an impressive technology to them and they could generate employment opportunities throughout the year. Finally, the social, economic and technical problems which are acting as constraints to rapid expansion of fish production system were reported from the interviewee.

On the importance of ship-bottom fouling by marine organisms: a techno-economic survey

A high attention has been paid for constant research on the preservation of materials in the marine environment. This includes all phases of design, development, applied engineering and economics which may influence the construction and operation of ships and underwater installations.

The effect of increase in the number of fishing trips on the economic efficiency of 9.82 m and 11 m fishing trawlers along Kerala coast

Cost-benefit analysis of a 9.82 m and 11 m fishing trawlers based on the number of fishing trips is presented. The number of fishing trips per year determines the profit and loss of the trawler. With the increase in the number of fishing trips, the profit also increase for both the sizes of trawlers. The minimum quantity of prawn and fish to be landed for 0-20% profit for varying number of fishing trips are worked out. The break-even for 9.82 and 11m trawlers was observed to be 185 and 210 fishing trips respectively during 1980-81.

Economic analysis of 22m and 23m deep sea trawlers

The cost-benefit analysis of 23m and 22m trawlers operated from Visakhapatnam base is presented. The study indicated that the deep sea fishing in Indian waters is a profitable venture. The profit over capital investment for a 23m trawler worked out to about 18% whereas the same was about 10% for a 22m trawler. Catch per trawling operation, cost of production, productivity per man year, energy yield etc. establish the economic superiority of 23m vessel.

Socio-economic and marketing aspects of Laila and Bottom Long Line fisheries in the Kalpitiya peninsula of Sri Lanka

Surrounding Net Fishery (laila) and Bottom Long Line Fishery which operate in the coastal waters of Kalpitiya Peninsula, compete for the same fish resources, resulting in a fishery dispute between the respective fishermen. Both fisheries target demersal as well as mid pelagic fishes, such as travellys (parava), mullets (galmalu) and barracudas (ulava). As the dispute had an adverse impact on the social harmony in the fishing community of the area, a socio-economic survey was conducted to study the underlying factors and to suggest policy measures to resolve the issue. The laila fishermen were resident fishermen in the Kalpitiya Peninsula while bottom long line fishermen were migratory fishermen from Negombo and Chilaw areas in the west coast of Sri Lanka. The Kalpitiya peninsula is located in the North West coast, some 50 km away from the west coast. Although the educational level and literacy rate of the laila community was below that of the bottom long line community, the laila community was economically better off. The net economic returns from laila fishery were superior to that from bottom long line fishery. The boat owner's and crew's share per operation of laila fishery were Rs.3,736 and Rs.947 respectively. The same figures for bottom long line fishery were Rs.588 and Rs.327 respectively. The resource rent from laila fishery was Rs.5,860, however, and much higher than that for bottom long line fishery (Rs.275), showing that the laila fishery exploits the targeted fish resource at a much higher rate compared to bottom long line fishery. This situation badly affects the equitable distribution of resources between the two fishing communities and results in unequal economic gains. Based on the findings of this study, certain input/output controls are proposed to address this problem, among which is the need to increase license fee for laila fishery units to offset the higher exploitation rate of fish resources.

A study of the constraints affecting ornamental fish production in Sri Lanka

Although Sri Lanka is endowed with favourable climatic conditions and resources for breeding and rearing ornamental fish for export, a considerable number of ornamental fish producers as well as exporters have given up the industry within a relatively short period of time. This study was conducted to understand the present status of the industry and to identify the problems that have caused these failures. The study was conducted from March to December in the year 2007 and covered Colombo, Kaluthara, Polonnaruwa, Negombo, Wattala, Rathnapura, Avissawella, Kandy, Kegalle, Padukka, and Gampaha areas, where ornamental fish culture is known to be popular. The survey was carried out by interviewing ornamental fish farmers using a structured questionnaire survey that was designed to elicit the required information. Most (75%) of those surveyed were identified as small scale farmers. A majority (56%) of them used only cement tanks for their culture activities. Only 47% of farmers had proper technical knowledge or training on fish culture while 42% directly supplied their fish products to the expo1iers. The most important constraints identified by the study were as follows: (1) the sale price offish not changing in keeping with the increase in the material costs of production - Feed, cement, sand, transport and labour - in recent years. (2) Difficulty to find export markets for newcomers to enter the export market. (3) Lack of quality brooders and information on the most suitable fish varieties for the different climatic and water conditions in different areas in the country (3) Feed availability and cost. (4) Lack of adequate knowledge and technical support with regard to disease control and water quality management. (5) Difficulty to survive in the off season. (6) Difficulty in obtaining credit for expansion and the lack of sufficient involvement of responsible authorities in overcoming all these identified constraints.

Assessing, demonstrating and capturing the economic value of marine & coastal ecosystem services in the Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem

The objective of the study was to assess the economic value of ecosystem services in the Bay of Bengal.The manin aim was to support the development of a Strategic Action Plan (SAP). Findings included: economic consequences of ecosystem change; potential economic instruments to strengthen sustainable management; and recommendations on next steps in using economic valuation.

Investigation on the ecological impact of constructing and activities of petrochemical industries of petrochemical special economic zone of Mahshahr on the abundance and diversity of macrobenthic fauna in Jafari Creek, north-west of the Persian Gulf

The impact of Petrochemical Special Economic Zone (PETZONE) activities on the health status of Jafari Creek was studied by assessing the changes in macroinvertebrate assemblages in nine sites during September 2006- January 2008. Furthermore to evaluate the ecological status of the Jafari Creek the WFD indices (i.e. AMBI, M-AMBI) were used. The relationship between spatial pattern of macro invertebrate assemblages and ambient factors (i.e. water temperature, salinity, pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solid, total hardness, total nitrogen, ammonia, total phosphorous, chemical oxygen demand, biological oxygen demand, sediment grain size distribution, sediment organic content, heavy metals contents) was measured. Background Enrichment indices, Contamination factor and Contamination degree, were used to assess the health status in the study area based on Nickel, Lead, Cadmium and Mercury contents of the sediments. The macrobenthic communities had a low diversity and were dominated by opportunistic taxa, and the AMBI and M-AMBI indices need to be calibrated before using in Persian Gulf and its coastal waters. The BIO-ENV analysis identified pH, dissolved oxygen, TDS, and the total organic content of sediments as the major environmental variables influencing the infaunal pattern. This suggests that management should attempt to ensure minimal disturbance to environmental variables underlying the spatial variation in macroinvertebrate assemblages. Background Enrichment indices showed that the health of Jafari Creek has declined over time due to the constant discharge of heavy metals to the Creek system. Furthermore WQS index shows that the quality condition of the water column in Jafari Creek, regard to the calculated number (3) is week. These indices also identified a significant degree of pollution in the study area. The decrease in the ecological potential of Jafari Creek was best highlighted by the alteration in macrobenthic assemblages.

Water budgeting studies on the hatchery and nursery rearing practices for the common carp, Cyprinus carpio (Linnaeus, 1758)

Aquaculture systems are an integral element of rural development and therefore should be environment friendly as well as socially and economically designed. From the economic standpoint, one of the major constraints for the development of sustainable aquaculture includes externalities generated by competition in access to a limited resource. This study was conducted as an investigation into the water requirement for the hatchery and nursery production phases of common carp, Cyprinus carpio (Linnaeus, 1758) at the Maharashtra State Fish Seed Farm at Khopoli in Raigad Dist. of Maharashtra during the winter months from November to February. The water budgeting study involves the quantification of water used in every stage of production in hatchery and nursery systems and aimed at becoming a foundation for the minimization of water during production without affecting the yield; thereby conserving water and upholding the theme of sustainable aquaculture. The total water used in a single operation cycle was estimated to be 11,25,040 L [sic]. Out of the total water consumed, 4.74% water was used in the pre-operational management steps, 4.48% was consumed during breeding, 62.72% was consumed in the hatching phase, 21.50% was used for hatchery rearing and 6.56% was consumed during conditioning. In the nursery ponds, the water gain was primarily the regulated inflow coming through the irrigation channel. The total quantum of water used in the nursery rearing was 31,60,800 L [sic]. The initial filling and regulated inflow formed 42.60% and 57.40% respectively of water gain, while evaporation, seepage and discharge contributed 20.71%, 36.46% and 42.82% respectively to the water loss. The total water expended for the entire operation was 1,21,61,120 L [sic]. Water expense occurred to produce a single spawn in the hatchery system was calculated and found to be 0.56 L while the water expended to produce one fry was calculated as 4.86 L. The study fulfills the hydrological equation described by Winter (1981) and Boyd (1985). It also validates the water budget simulation model that can be used for forecasting water requirements for aquaculture ponds (Nath and Bolte, 1998).

Biodiversity and socio-economic information of selected areas of Sri Lankan side of the Gulf of Mannar

Rapid biodiversity and socio-economic studies of the Gulf of Mannar were required as part of the process to propose the Sri Lankan side as a Biosphere Reserve. These included livelihoods; land use; infrastructure; biodiversity; agriculture; fisheries; archaeological and cultural significance; and development and environmental issues.