As part of an effort to overcome the crisis caused by depletion of fish wealth, a meeting of agencies associated with the fishermen community in the district has decided to undertake crab farming and cage farming of pearlspot (karimeen).
They also decided to adopt integrated fish farming which involves fish-cumpaddy culture in the Vembanad lake and pokkali fields in the district.
District Collector P Venugopal, who chaired the meet said that ecological imbalance has affected lakhs of inland fishermen who depend on the lake for their livelihood.
After the closure of the Thanneermukkom bund for paddy cultivation, the ecology of the lake would change.
This would in turn affect fish breeding.
The meeting entrusted the Agency for Development of Aquaculture Kerala (ADAK) and Fisheries Resource Management Society (FIRMA), the task of implementing various methods of farming.
Earlier, a study conducted by the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation had recommended the government to start projects to increase the fish wealth in the Kuttanad region.
The meeting assigned the ADAK, FIRMA and Ashoka Trust For Research in Ecology and Environment (ATREE) to implement project to release prawn seeds in various parts of the lake.
The agencies will construct clam sanctuaries and fish sanctuaries in various parts of the lake.
The Collector directed the Fisheries and Police to take steps to prevent illegal sand and clay mining from the lake.