Fisheries officials to get trained on sea cage farming

RAMANATHAPURAM: A three-day workshop on farming cobia (Rachycentron canadum) fish variety in sea cages which will provide hands-on training on cage and net fabrication, feed management, growth assessment, net exchange, nursery management, packing and transportation, stocking of fingerlings in cages and disease management is being conducted for fisheries department officials in Mandapam.

The

Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute

(CMFRI) of

Indian Council of Agricultural Research

centre at Mandapam is organising the workshop (November 13 to 15) which is attended by 18 fisheries officials from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and

West Bengal

. This is the first batch of training and CMFRI will continue training officials and fishermen in the coming days.

Cobia, known as black salmon has high commercial value and considered one of the best species to raise in open water marine fish aquaculture. Its rapid growth and high quality of flesh can fetch handsome remuneration to fishing community.

Raising cobia fishes in sea cages was developed at CMFRI – Mandapam regional centre in 2010 and officials said that results have been promising. In 2013, Ramanathapuram district administration promoted 10 fishermen groups to raise cobias in sea cages and fishermen were also supported under fisheries management sustainable development project to set up sea cages.

National Fisheries Development Board

(NFDB) has planned to sea cage farming of cobia in selected coastal states in the country. In this financial year,

NFDB

is planning to train 50 fisheries officials and 300 fishermen from these states.

The cobia training workshop is conducted under the technology upgradation scheme of NFDB. Apart from the training, field visits to farming sites are also arranged.