The Hindu Business Line : 'Combine mangrove restoration, aquaculture'

EXPERTS have dismissed the charges that aquaculture leads to the destruction of mangroves. This is one of the charges frequently levelled against the activity by the ecologists, and, in fact, mangrove restoration and aquaculture could be combined. In fact, in countries such as Thailand they are being combined, the experts opine.

They were speaking at the concluding session of the three-day Indian Aquaculture Expo-2002 here on Wednesday.

Prof P.S.B.R James, the former director of Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi, said the nutrient-rich mangroves were the breeding grounds for many marine organisms and they could be used to filter water let out of the aqua ponds. "The value of mangroves as bio-filters cannot be overemphasised and it should not be difficult to combine the two activities,'' he said. He also urged farmers to take up polyculture and rationalise the use of feed, as the feed conversion ratio (FCR) was not very high in India.

Mr. B. Vishnu Bhat, the Deputy Director of the MPEDA, said many local and social issues relating to aquaculture were being "masked as environmental issues'' and blown out of proportion to discredit the culture. Aquaculture should be integrated with other coastal activities to resolve conflicts among stakeholders— the local people, fishermen and aqua farmers. He urged farmers to desist from using the five banned anti-biotics, as it may hit exports.

"The European Union has already banned aqua imports from China and other countries and has put India on the alert,'' he said.

Dr Shamsundar, of the College of Fisheries, Mangalore, said post-harvest losses of marine products amounted to 20-25 per cent in the country and the processors should upgrade the technologies. Dr G. Santhana Krishnan, the Secretary of the MPEDA, presented a study undertaken during the period 1973-92 in Krishna and Guntur districts, which "conclusively proved that destruction of mangroves was mainly due to urban development, wood-cutting, development of salt pans, agriculture and traditional farms and not due to expansion of aquaculture''.

Mr. Mahendra Dandekar, Manager, NABARD, said banks were financing scampi culture in Nellore district in a big way, but were not willing to finance tiger prawn culture.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section
'Combine mangrove restoration, aquaculture'

Global cocoa deficit to narrow

Silver Tips tea glitters again

Tea planters begin unblended retailing

Biotech meet in Bangalore on March 7

Cotton Corpn facing space shortage in AP

Govt moots base price for robusta exports