16.5 lakh fish seed produced at Jmu’s Ghomanhasan farm

Srinagar, August 27: More than sixteen lakh fish seeds have been produced at a fish farm in Ghomanhasan in Jammu which is a record number for the second consecutive year.
Officials said that the Department of Fisheries J&K is making a splash as 16.5 lakh fish seeds were produced at Ghomanhasan from April to August which is a great achievement.
“With 9.0 lakh already stocked in various water bodies/Amrit Sarovars and 2.8 lakh supplied to 109 progressive fish farmers. Some 5 lakh has been put in stock. It is a great achievement,” said Chief Project Officer, Ghomanhasan Fish Farm, Mohd Ashraf Darzi.
He said that the 16.5 lakh seed includes common carp, grass carp, silver carp, catla, rahu and mrigal. “This is a type of composite fisheries in which we culture six different types of fishes together. Every niche of the food is fully utilized in the fish pond,” Darzi said.
He also said that in Kashmir valley only three fish varieties which include common carp, grass carp and silver carp are cultured together due to the difference in geographical changes.
The Chief Project Office said that under the Holistic Agriculture Development Plan (HADP) has planned a 32 crore project for a period of five years and that is aimed to double the fish production in the next five years.
“We have also proposed trout and carp units in both government and private sector and other latest technological interventions for the five years which increase the fish production,” he said.
The official also said that with the introduction of the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) it has given a major boost to the farmers to encourage them to choose fisheries.
As per fisheries officials for every industry to boost, a marketing network is highly required. The Department of Fisheries in this regard has established trout marketing outlets at Anantnag, Srinagar, Kupwara and Jammu.
“Since trout is a highly perishable commodity and needs proper refrigeration and preservation, the department has procured refrigeration vehicles in this regard for transportation of marketable stocks to different fish markets,” they said.
Notably, officials said that the modernized aquaculture system in the form of re-circulatory aquaculture system in the form of RAS has been introduced in J&K during 2020-21.