THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Teaching and fish farming may sound like chalk and cheese. But not for Sandhya C Vidyadharan, a college teacher whose innovative fish farm has won her the ‘Best Marine Fish Farmer’ award instituted by the Union government’s National Fisheries Development Board.
Sandhya, head of the department of English at Sasthamcotta KSMDB College, in Kollam, has turned around three acres of land in nearby Munroe Island into a flourishing fish farm using natural methods. By reviving indigenous fish farming, she has given both employment and income to members of the local community associated with the venture.
It was the captivating beauty of the area that prompted Sandhya and her husband Shilu I G to buy a piece of land on the island named after Col John Munroe, the British resident of erstwhile Travancore state. But soon, the fish farming practices followed on the island for decades piqued the couple’s interest.
Constructing a bund in the marshy area to manage the high tide on Ashtamudi lake was a challenge. Our initial idea was to cultivate shrimp. But repeated attempts proved unsuccessful. Some ingredient in the soil was not conducive for shrimp growth, Sandhya recounts.
Changing topography of Munroe worries Sandhya
“By the time we realised it, a few lakhs of our hard-earned money had already gone down the drain,” says Sandhya. Members of the local community had already been involved in the farm. Abandoning the venture then would have deprived them of their livelihood. So, the couple decided to give it another shot. They introduced ‘karimeen’ (pearl spot) fish seeds and there was no looking back. However, Sandhya suffered a huge loss when the farm was ravaged in the deluge of 2018. The bund was breached and the entire fish stock was washed away into the lake. But despite the setback, Sandhya decided to continue with her venture.
“Now, our annual karimeen yield is around five tonnes and it fetches up to `600 a kg. Since the area is frequented by tourists, the catch has huge demand in hotels and resorts situated on the banks of the Ashtaumdi,” she said. For eateries in the area, the tasty catch from ‘kandal theeram’ is a star attraction on their menu.
Sandhya, who is equally serious about conservation of natural habitats, is worried about the changing topography of Munroe, known as the ‘sinking island’. Tidal flooding, which now occurs around eight to nine months a year, coupled with heavy sediment build up pose a challenge to the livelihood of the local community. Despite the adverse conditions, the teacher has also plans to explore the tourism potential of her nearly decade-old venture.
Sandhya received the ‘Best Marine Fish Farmer’ award, comprising `1 lakh and a certificate, from Union Minister Parshottam Rupala at the Global Fisheries Conference hosted by National Fisheries Development Board in Ahmedabad.