Bumper Harvest of Pearl Spot, Seabass in Kerala districts

An yield of around two tonnes of Seabass (Kalanchi) and over 170 kg of Pearl Spot (Karimeen), all cultured in cages, was harvested at Kakkamadanthuruth and Thiruthur in Puthenvelikkara Panchayat.
The cage culture was initiated as a part of the "Samagra Matsya gramam" project of Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS) with the support of Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) and Kerala State Fisheries Department, a press release here said.
The project has been a huge success with a big catch of Seabass and Pearl Spot from eight cages installed in the backwaters of the areas. The yield of Seabass, with an average weight of 1.6kg is a rare achievement in cage culture within nine months.

B Madhusoodana Kurup, Vice Chancellor, who inaugurated the harvest said the project proved that the freshwater and brackish water bodies in the state are highly prospective to fish culture.
"The success of the project will encourage KUFOS to develop fish farming projects and to extend it to other areas, exploiting the potentials of the sector," he said.
The University has introduced an eco-friendly farming method to achieve sustainability of fisheries. The project was also helpful to enrich the indigenous fish stocks that are facing threat of extinction, he said.

The project, aimed at empowering fish farmers in the panchayat, has been receiving encouraging response from the farming community.

KUFOS initiated the project focusing on freshwater fish culture, brackish water fish culture, ornamental fish culture, cage culture and integrated farming utilising the resources of public and private ponds and backwaters.
Daisy C Kappen, Associate Professor of KUFOS, is the Principal Investigator of the project.