Pabda is a very popular and tasty fish, but it is now close to disappearing in Bangladesh. Artificial breeding makes it possible to protect it. Here is what pabda farming involves.

Q: Pabda is rarely found in the market these days. Why? Where does it live? A: It is among the fish that are disappearing. Pabda is really a river fish, but during the monsoon it also takes shelter in large water bodies connected to rivers. In Bangladesh it is found in some beels and large water bodies.

Q: In what kind of pond can pabda be farmed? A: Pabda is farmed in ponds alongside other fry fish, excluding cyprinus (common carp) and mrigal.

Q: What does pabda eat? A: Pabda is a fish-eating fish. It eats small shrimp, snails and various aquatic insects.

Q: How does pabda breed? A: Pabda breeds naturally. Once it reaches 20 to 40 grams it becomes able to breed; it then gathers in the river next to the beel and lays eggs.

Q: How many eggs does a breeding pabda produce? A: About 35,000 to 40,000 eggs can be obtained per 100 grams of body weight.

Q: How should fry be reared to produce fingerlings? A: The nursery pond is prepared in the same way as for turning the spawn of other fish into fry. Spawn has been seen to turn into fry within 15 to 18 days.

Q: What do pabda fry eat while being reared? A: They grow on plankton produced in the nursery pond. Within 35 to 45 days the fry become fingerlings, and at that point they are moved to the stocking pond.

Q: How should pabda be farmed? A: First prepare the pond as for fry fish farming. Apply 225 to 250 kg of cow dung per bigha of pond. When natural feed develops within 3 to 4 days, release the pabda fingerlings into the pond.

Q: What are the costs and profits? A: In mixed culture with other fry fish, the cost is about Tk 3,500. Income from pabda is Tk 4,200 and from the other fish Tk 6,000, a total income of Tk 10,200. Total profit is Tk 6,700.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.