The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) has received ₹ 9 crore from the Centre for setting up national brood-banks of two marine fish like Cobia and Pompano.

The Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries (DADF) has approved CMFRI’s proposal to enhance the production of farmed Cobia (Rachycentron canadum) and Pompano (Trachinotus blochii) through setting up of brood-banks and supply of larvae to all coastal states for seed production.

The brood-bank will be set up at Mandapam and Vizhinjam regional centres of CMFRI and the regional hatcheries will be established in all maritime states.

The brood-bank will have quarantine facility, brood-stock holding tanks, recirculation aquaculture systems and photothermal control systems. The proposed facility will sustainably produce fertilised eggs and newly hatched larvae from bio-secure brood-stocks of Cobia and Pompano fed with suitable diets under controlled water quality parameters and photo period.

According to A Gopalakrishnan, CMFRI Director, the new project will help solve the issue of scarcity of quality seeds of Cobia and Pompano which are among the most suitable species for sea cage farming in Indian waters.

Since the present marine capture fisheries is unable to meet the growing seafood demand, the institute has to focus on increasing the marine fish production through mariculture activities. However, scarcity of quality seeds is a major impediment to the mariculture industry. The proposed brood-banks and regional hatchery facilities will cater to the requirements of quality seeds.

With the establishment of the brood-banks, Gopalakrishnan said production of 48 million newly hatched larvae of Pompano and 30.72 million newly hatched larvae of Cobia could be achieved per year.

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