Present status and future scope for fish production in cages and enclosures in India

Abstract

The paper highlights the role of intensive fish husbandry system in cages and enclosures in the overall fisheries development of the country. This system of fish culture in widely dispersed aquatic ecosystems in India has yielded stimulating results, though there are some immediate constraints. The pressing problems of cage size, shape and material, diseases and parasites, and location of operational sites have been discussed. Such intensive culture systems have numerous advantages over the traditional pond culture. It 15 conduded that cage and enclosure culture of fifish and shellfish will ultimately carve its niche in the streams, rivers, canals, heels, lakes, reservoirs, estuaries, lagoons, bays and coastal areas of the country.