Marine Products Export Development Authority, Mangaluru division has organised a pond grow out demonstration programme of Asian Seabass (Lates calcarifer) at Anagalli Village in Udupi.

Asian Seabass, known as Barramundi in the international trade parlance, is of very good demand in domestic and international markets because of its white meat and high nutritional profile.

The demonstration was done in the aquaculture farm of Sannamma G., selected based on her experience and willingness to try out different species other than shrimp.

Seabass fingerlings of 4.5-5.0 cm (<2gm) size were stocked 1,000 numbers each in 4 numbers of nursery rearing cages, each having a capacity of 5 cu. m. capacity in October last year. The nursery cages were placed in the same pond, which was later used as a grow-out pond. Total 4,000 fingerlings were stocked, and within 52 days, the fishes reached an average size of 26 gram with more than 95 per cent survival.

Fishes were released into the open pond of a 1-hectare area in December 2020 and fed with pellet feeds. Within six months of culture, fishes attained an average body weight of 1 kg with an estimated biomass of 3,000 kg in the pond. The crop was officially harvested on June 16, fetching a retail sale of ₹400 per kg.

The successful demonstration has proved that Asian Seabass farming can be an excellent income generation opportunity for rural folk to generate a reasonable income with a proper plan.

K S Srinivas, Chairman, MPEDA, said that such programmes would pave the way for more farmers to take up the aquaculture of diversified species such as Asian Seabass, Tilapia, Cobia, Pompano, Mud crab. He emphasised the need to diversify the country’s export basket with more products from inland aquaculture, mainly on shrimp.

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