BENGALURU: Some buy it for decorative purposes, some, to spread positive vibes at home. The ornamental fisheries market in Bengaluru is growing, with an overall monthly market revenue coming up to around Rs 100 crore, according to Fisheries Research and Information Centre.
Dr Chethan N, Fisheries Scientist, Karnataka Animal and Fisheries Sciences University (KAFSU), said that previously the fisheries business was very scattered, however, in the past five years, there has been a 15-20 percent rise in the business. The city has around 2,500 retail shops running a profitable business, he added.
The KAFSU displayed fishes like Goldfish, Guppy, Sword Tale, Molly and Widow Tetras at the recently organised Krishi Mela 2023 in the city. Dr Chethan said that the Goldfish was the most sold ornamental fish followed by Guppy. They sold close to 800 small fishes within a day of commencement of the mela.
Now the fisheries business for both edible and ornamental fishes is much more streamlined and farmers are seen adopting pisciculture as an alternative source of income.
The state fisheries department is also taking measures to bring Karnataka at par with Tamil Nadu and West Bengal which have a well established fishery business. A training programme was recently organised for 50 farmers to educate them about the ornamental fish business, help create a small ecosystem within their land, create optimal environment for breeding fishes, and use of appropriate equipment to achieve end results.