Big Catch Enthuses Fisherfolk

KOCHI: After days of hardwork it’s partying time for the fisherfolk of Puthenveilikkara panchayat. They are all excited to reap the harvest of seabass (Kalanchi) and pearl spot (Karimeen), all cultured in cages, on Thursday at Kakkamadanthuruth and Thiruthur in the panchayat.

Cage culture is a part of the ‘Samagra  Matsyagramam’ project being run by Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (Kufos) in the panchayat.

Kufos Vice-Chancellor B Madhusoodana Kurup, will inaugurate the harvest, a big event for fish farmers in the panchayat. The project, aimed at empowering fish farmers, has been well-received in the panchayat.

Kufos initiated the project with the support of Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) and the Kerala State Fisheries Department.

Eco-friendly Farming

The uinversity has introduced eco-friendly farming methods 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.

Earlier, the cage culture of Red Snapper (Chembally) had produced an yield with an average weight of 1.5 kg, with a survival rate of 80 percentage. This had earned the farmers a national award for the Best Cage Farmers group in India.  Besides, the economic and social empowerment of fish farmers, the Samagra Matsyagramam project is also helpful for enriching the indigenous fish stocks that are facing threat of extinction.