Aquaculture is the process of breeding, rearing and harvesting of aqua flora and fauna in fresh water, cold water or salt water with commercial value which includes pisciculture that deals with fish farming to produce fish and fish products.
As about 70 percent of earth comprises water in the oceans, seas, rivers, marshy lands, springs, streams, glacial reserves and ponds, aquaculture is one of the largest biodiversities. The branch of zoology in science related to the study of fish is called ichthyology or fish science.
The importance and indispensable role of the organism as a source of income, nutrition, employment and food to millions of people has gained it status as being studied as science along with other various sciences.
Most of the water bodies bear fish except Great Salt Lake in North America and the Dead Sea which is a landlocked salt lake between Israel and Jordan in Southwestern Asia. Fish are dated to be 450 million year old vertebrates that have continued to exist by adapting to the living conditions.
There are various types of fish that live in different waters with varying life spans ranging between months to hundreds of years. Their life span varies by species as months for reel fish, 10-30 years for goldfish, 226 years for Hanako-a Koi fish and for Greenland Shark up to 392 years.
Unlike human beings fish have no ears but can hear and respond to sound vibrations with ear like parts inside head. They run very fast and Ino-Pacific Sail fish is the fastest fish with a speed of 110 km per hour.
Fish is produced and consumed at public or private level worldwide. The global fish production rose to 184.6 million metric tons in 2022 up from 178.1 million metric tons in 2021.
Of this volume one-third came from China and is as such the leading fish producing country. More than 110 million workers globally earn their livelihoods from small scale fisheries. Aquaculture and fisheries cater to livelihood of 820 million people across the globe.
India is the third largest fish producing and the second largest aquaculture country in the world accounting for 7.56 percent of share in the global fish production. At country level Andhra Pradesh tops the list of fish producing states and union territories.
The fisheries and aquaculture production contributes one percent to national gross domestic product and about five percent to agriculture gross domestic product. Fish is a staple dietary item in Indian cuisine where nearly 60 percent of human population consumes it.
It provides livelihood to about 2.80 crore people at the primary level especially to marginalized and vulnerable communities and twice the number in value chain.
It is a preferred dish over meat on account of its benefits owing to presence of omega3 fatty acids that help in controlling cholesterol level and protecting the cardiac health. Hira lal Chadhuri and Dr. Krishnan are known as father of Blue Revolution launched during 7th five year plan (1985-90) in India.
Jammu & Kashmir has a considerable natural repository of water bodies suitable for fish production and rearing on commercial scale. Consequently upon successful introduction and subsequent establishment of trout fish in the valley of Kashmir in 1900 AD, the Department of Fisheries was created in 1903AD and was called Department of Game Production.
J & K having abundant water resources spread of thousands of hectares prominently including Wuar Lake, Mansbal Lake Dal Lake has great potency for development of fish species like Amar Carp, Common Carp and Trout fish. As per Wular Management & Conservation Authority (WUMCA) 60 percent of fish supply from Kashmir is catered by Wular Lake and is source of livelihood to 9,000 families.
J & K is the leading producer of trout fish that accounts for 70 percent of trout production in India. They are found in all nallahs and streams of the valley naturally. The famed ones are Gurez, Kishanganga, Wangath, Sindh, Lidder, Sukhnag etc. The three types of fish Kashmiris eat are Kashmiri fish-long slim of white colour, second is of black colour (Bilose fish) and trout also white called Zob.
The Golden Mahaseer is the state fish of J & K. According to one estimate about 90,000 people derive their livelihood from this pursuit. The fish production JK data is updated yearly and there has been a crop of 25,000 tons during 2022 which is up by 4,000 tons from 21,000 tons in 2021 while as demand for fish is 1.5 lakh tons.
The six-times more demand indicates a wide scope for profitable investment and expansion in fisheries that would generate opportunities for employment, increase in income, food substitution and livelihood to lakhs of people directly and indirectly.
Simultaneously the average production for the period 3/1999 to 3/2022 stated to have been about 19750 tons is other side of the coin. The seven-times less production than demand is a sub-par annual growth rate which speaks of definite impediments to the fisheries development in JK and call for massive technical and management restructuring to meet at least half the demand before 2050 to bring Blue Revolution. Blue revolution focuses mainly on increasing fish production and productivity from fisheries resources.
The growth retarding factors may include lack of modern aquaculture techniques, limited variety of fish species, inbreeding depression, weak aquatic ecosystem, obsolete infrastructure, under utilization of human resources, scanty private support & participation, immoral angling of fish by using blast material in any water body etc.
However, in 2/2023 government of J and K approved Rs.176 crore project to overcome the bottlenecks and boost fish production through research & development.
The project includes importing genetically improved fish seed, introduction of species diversity conducive to local aquaculture environ, developing trout and carp fish production on commercial lines using latest technologies like re-circulatory aquaculture system (RAS) and Biofloc technology and upgrading existing eight carp and 10 trout fish rearing units and hatcheries on modern lines along with establishing 10 new trout and two carp hatcheries.
The project aims to increase fish production and productivity, rate of growth, promote sustainable development for enhancing nutritional security & support, strengthen social security & welfare for fishermen, generate employment, facilitate improving pre-harvest, harvesting and post harvest practices, create value addition, enlarge market reach & coverage and overall increase in economic prosperity.
It is a cherished dish but all do not afford it often due to its high sale price, cost and time of preparation and little net realization for end use. Though scientific management and technological interventions have their due role and importance in the development of fisheries yet the other produce of the area inland as well as water bodies involved in the exercise is to be weighed on cost-analysis basis vis-à-vis other kinds of production in agriculture sector. This, to arrive at comparatively real net addition to the agriculture gross domestic product by pisciculture in Jammu & Kashmir.
Author is a former Sr. Audit Officer and Consultant in the A.G’s Office Srinagar.
DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author.
The facts, analysis, assumptions and perspective appearing in the article do not reflect the views of GK.