Low volume cage culture of Asian Seabass and and pearlspot in backwater creeks: An alternate livelihood model for coastal communities of Gujarat

Abstract

Fish has universally consolidated its position as an affordable health food and increase in fish production ensures income, food and nutritional security. India is bestowed with numerous commercially important, cultivable brackishwater food fishes such as Asian seabass, milkfish, grey mullet, pearlspot, mangrove red snapper, rabbit fish, and estuarine groupers, and ornamentals such as silver moony, spotted scat and orange chromides, Brackishwater sector is largely synonymous with shrimp farming; hence diversification of species and system holds paramount significance to achieve sustainable growth of coastal aquaculture. Recently due to availability of hatchery seed and feed, scientific farming of Asian seabass, milkfish, and pearlspot has gained attention from the sector. This needs fine tuned technology backup for scaling-up the farming in a massive way as a sustainable food production sector. Brackishwater finfish farming is clusters around small stakeholders owning relatively smaller farming areas which necessitate diversification of the system in the form of cage, pen etc. to generate alternative livelihood.