The implementation of the demonstration of Open Sea Cage Farming Technology of Marine Fishes along the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay by the Mandapam Regional Centre of ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Tamil Nadu succeeded in enabling the fishermen beneficiaries under the Institute to reap a rich harvest of Cobia after 7 months of farming. The revenue earned from the venture proved to be a great relief to the fishermen and their families for sustaining their livelihood during the lockdown period due to COVID-19.
The Cage Farming was a part of the Second Phase of the Demonstration Project funded by the National Fisheries Development Board. Under the project, the Institute provided the beneficiaries with a total of 40 fabricated HDPE Cages along with the fingerlings of Cobia and Asian Seabass. The fishermen installed the Cages in Munaikadu, Mandapam, Maraikayarpatnam, Nalupanai, Chinnapalem and Sippikulam Villages and stocked the Fish Fingerlings in a phased manner.
In the First Phase, 5 Cages installed in Munaikadu Village, Ramanathapuram District, Tamil Nadu produced a total of 9.8 Tonnes of Cobia Fishes with an average individual weight of 2.6 Kg during the harvest done from 21st to 24th May, 2021. The beneficiaries got a farm-gate price of Rs. 310 per Kg from the harvest. The harvest per Cage ranged between 1.8 Tonnes to 2.1 Tonnes, with a survival rate of 86.0% to 89.5%. The beneficiaries could manage to reap total revenue of Rs. 30.10 Lakhs with a sale value of Rs. 6.02 Lakhs per Cage.
(Source: ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi, Kerala)
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