KOCHI: May 20 was a black day for the cage fish farmers in the district as the sudden increase in the pollutants in Periyar river led to major fish deaths. It caused a loss of of Rs 31.25 crore for cage fish farmers and Rs 10.6 crore for capture fisheries. Yet, the farmers have decided to give another go at cage fishing that once brought them dividends.
“However, we need to wait until mid-September to restart it,” said Swapnalal, a cage fish farmer and member of the Cage Fish Farmers Association. According to him, cage fish farming will also act as a deterrent to the industries functioning on the banks of the river from dumping pollutants into the water body. “Once the farming restarts, these errant companies will have to think twice before resorting to any such moves,” he added.
Gratus, owner of the Gratus Fish Farm who lost Rs 14 lakh worth of fish, says, “At present, it is not the right time to restart the farming. The turbidity of the river water plus the possibility of flooding due to heavy rain does not make it conducive to put the fishlings in cages.” The time towards September-end is more suitable, he adds.
Gratus pointed out that some farmers doing the fish cultivation on a small scale have already begun the process. “Those who have more cages will be doing so later when the climate and weather are more favourable,” he says.
As to what makes them go back to cage fish farming, Swapnalal says, “It has been a means of livelihood for many farmers. Also, the returns compared to the investment have been very good. For an investment of Rs 64,000, including the cost of the cages, fish fries and feed, a farmer receives returns of about Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 2 lakh. Moreover, the state government gives good subsidies for cage fish farming.”
They highlighted that, unlike any other farming, the farmer can control when to harvest and sell the produce in cage fish farming. “Even if the fish becomes bigger, we won’t be at a loss. So we time the harvest to coincide with festival season and trawling ban,” says Gratus. However, they said that the compensation promised by the state government for the loss is yet to materialise.