Kerala has opened a pearlspot fish hatchery at the Matsyafed Palaikari Fish Farm in Kottayam district, set up in technical consultation with the ICAR-Central Institute of Brackish Water Aquaculture (ICAR-CIBA), Chennai.

The facility was inaugurated by Advocate Abdul Ghafoor, Kerala's Minister of Fisheries and Port Engineering, in the presence of Advocate Francis George, Member of Parliament for Kottayam, Binnimon, MLA for Vaikom, the chairman and managing director of Matsyafed, and other officials.

The hatchery is described as a milestone for pearlspot (Etroplus suratensis) seed production in Kerala and is expected to improve the availability of quality seed for farmers, promoting sustainable aquaculture with ICAR-CIBA's scientific and consultancy support.

At the opening, officials presented the hatchery's operating procedures: broodstock management, breeding, egg incubation, larval rearing, live-feed management and nursery operations.

The project is part of a cluster-based approach to making pearlspot farming more competitive in Kerala's Kollam and Kottayam districts, supported by India's Department of Fisheries under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), with ICAR-CIBA providing technical assistance.

Photo: Arayilpdas / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.5)

Source: AgroSpectrum