Factors affecting the adoption of aquaculture technologies by the farmers

Purpose of the study was to ascertain the extent of adoption of aquaculture technologies by the farmers as well as constraints faced by them in adopting the aquaculture technologies. The study also explored its relationships with the selected characteristics of the farmers. In addition, an attempt was also made to determine some selected attributes of the technologies and their relationships with the adoption by the farmers. The study was conducted with the farmers of 10 upazilas of greater Mymensingh district who were the beneficiaries of three NGOs viz. SARA, ORD, and GRAMAUS. There were 351,241 and 249 beneficiaries under SARA, ORD and GRAMAUS, respectively who adopted the aquaculture technologies under DSAP. About 25% farmers from each of the three NGOs were selected for the study. The total sample size was 212. Pre-designed and pre-tested interview schedules were used for collecting data from the farmers. Field data were collected from the farmers during August-September, 2004. Pearson product moment correlation co-efficient were computed in order to explore the relationships of the selected characteristics of the farmers as well as selected attributes of technology with the adoption of aquaculture technologies by the farmers. The same statistical test was used to determine the relationships between the selected characteristics of the farmers and their constraints in adopting the aquaculture technologies.

Poor fish farmers' accessibility to credits: A review

Fisheries sector contributes about 5.3% to GDP and about 6% of the export earnings of Bangladesh. There are about 4.1 million ha of inland water bodies in Bangladesh. However, over last two decades the catch from inland capture fishery has decreased due to filling of wet lands and other anthropogenic reasons. Accordingly, the production of inland fish has decreased not only for the decrease of water bodies but also due to irrational catch of fish fries, brood fishes and use of current nets for fishing. Significant responses from the fisheries entrepreneurs have not been received for the small loan scheme of the Bangladesh Bank. The bank could not disburse more than Tk. 500 million under the scheme. The total revolving credit under the scheme was Tk. 1,000 million with the assistance from the World Bank. The business houses having fixed assets of value not more than Tk. 10 million will be eligible to borrow from this fund. About Tk. 0.2-5.0 million can be borrowed as term loan and working capital from Bangladesh Bank through commercial banks. The loan was given to the commercial banks at 5% interest (bank rate) and the commercial banks shall also bridge finance to the entrepreneurs at a lower rate of interest. Working capital time limit is for a maximum of 1 year with half yearly rest, mid-term loan maximum of 3 years in 5 installments and with 6 months grace period and long-term loan maximum of 5 years in 9 installments with 6 months grace period.

Preliminary studies on predicting the setting season of oysters for the benefit of shellfish farmers

Preliminary findings from a spatfall forecasting programme initiated in April 1981 at Himamaylan River, Negros Occidental are presented. Two main activities are involved: 1) monitoring of daily counts of oyster larvae in the plankton; and 2) monitoring of actual setting of oysters on standardized collectors put in the vicinity of oyster farm sites. Findings indicate that when the count of mature larvae exceeds 5 per 100 ml sample and persists for at least 3 days, spat may be expected to occur shortly afterwards.

Culture potential of Amblypharyngodon mola with carps in polyculture in farmers' pond of northern regions of Bangladesh

To assess the culture potential of mola (Amblypharyngodon mola) along with carps in polyculture systems, an experiment consisted of three treatments each with five replications was conducted for 4 months in two villages of Parbatipur upazilla under Dinajpur district. In the first treatment (SS), catla, rohu, mrigal, grass carp, Thai punti, common carp and a higher density of silver carp (8 per 40m²) were stocked. In the second treatment (SM), stocking density of silver carp was reduced to half and mola was added at a stocking density of 12,500/ha with all other fishes used in SS. In the third treatment (MM), no silver carp was stocked and mola was added at a stocking density of 25,000/ha with all other fishes used in SS. All treatments were subjected to the same regime of feed and fertilizers. The yields of large carps were 2035 kg/ha, 1757 kg/ha and 1326 kg/ha for treatments SS, SM and MM, respectively. Catla, grass carp and carpio showed better growth and production performance in presence of mola at a higher density, while rohu, Thai punti and mrigal showed better performance when stocking density of mola was relatively low. Mola yield was almost two times higher (184 kg/ha) in absence of silver carp (MM) than (62 kg/ha) in presence of silver carp (SM). The result showed that there was a significantly (p<0.01) lower total fish production in treatment MM. But there were no significant difference in total production between treatment SS and SM.

First record of a spindle cowry Crenovolva (Ovulidae, Gastropoda) from Bulleji, Karachi, on the gorgonian coral Muricella sp. and with a note on their association

Attached to hard substrata on our shores occur the branching colonies of gorgonian corals of the genus Muricella (Fig. 1A, Pl. 1B, C, D). Since there is no report on this genus from Pakistan this report be taken as the first record from here. The family Ovulidae comprises several hundred species of marine gastropods, all of which appear to be obligate associates of cnidarians as stated by Robertson (1970) and Hadfield (1976); the present ovulid gastropod genus Crenovolva lives exclusively on the gorgonians (Morton, 1989). Tirmizi and Zehra (1984) recorded thirty-two families of gastropods from Pakistan, but not any representative of the Ovulidae, so the material at hand may be the first record from Pakistan. Since we are unable to reach to specific level the material is being reported as unspecified.