Development of substrate based aquaculture for resource poor farmers in Assam

Productivity of a fish pond can be enhanced without increasing nutrient inputs through heterotrophic food production. Individual farmers’ pond is limited to the rearing of fry to fingerlings over a period of three months. Most of the individual farmers who practiced fish seed rearing in their seasonal ponds are unable to carry out grow out practices in their ponds because of unavailability of water throughout the year. Besides, the higher consumptive need of resource poor farmers have been a major hurdle in sustaining the operations for successive years. Farmers use advance fish fry of size 20-40mm to stock in fish ponds from local hatchery. Survival of fish seed were ranged from 50-60%. Fish culture was undertaken for 3 months duration. Farmers were trained to use locally available substrate like Palmyra leaf. Survival of fish seed were ranged from 90-95%. Advanced fingerlings of 100-175 gm on an average size harvested and sold to stocking units in the locality to enhance fish production from low productive ponds. Ecologically sustainable: external/ chemical inputs reduced to the great extent. The substrate aquaculture may be considered as organic aquaculture practices. Tiny organisms that live on the surface of objects under waters is an excellent food for browsers. The gross income from sale of 1000 No. of advance fingerlings of 250 kg @ Rs.60 per kg works out to Rs.15000 on a conservative scale. The Internal Rate of Return (IRR) of this technology is more than 50 % with Benefit Cost Ratio of Ratio (BCR) 2 : 1. As such, this technology is technically feasible and economically viable. Hence, a community based project for developing substrate based aquaculture is an income generation activities. A pilot scale trial in an extended number of household ponds, distributed over different agro-ecological zones of the country, has been proposed before dissemination of this technology for wider use as a means of poverty alleviation in Assam and elsewhere in the region.