ICAR-Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture (ICAR-CIBA) observed the World Fisheries Day on 21st November 2019 along with fishers of neighbouring villages at Muttukkadu Experimental Station, Chennai to sensitize them on adoption of aquaculture in the brackishwaters for fish production, alternative livelihood development and doubling their income. During the interaction Dr.K.K.Vijayan, Director, CIBA emphasized that aquaculture in brackishwaters is an economically viable activity for the coastal fishers to provide alternative employment and income generation to the fishers. He suggested that the Muttukkadu lagoon waters could be utilized efficiently for culture of fishes in a ‘institute-village partnership’ mode wherein inputs such as capacity development, seed, feed and health monitoring can be provided for one crop for a group of fishers including women who can take up pen or cage culture of fishes. The fishers could take it up as a part-time activity without affecting their main occupation he added.
Shri.E.T. Mohan Kumar, Assistant Director of Fisheries, Department of Fisheries, Government of Tamil Nadu in his felicitation remarks, stated that State Department of Fisheries would promote culture based fisheries in brackishwaters with a partnership mode between the fishers, CIBA and the Department of Fisheries. Subsequently the scientists of CIBA explained the success stories of aquaculture based livelihood models demonstrated by the institute in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Gujarat states. The representatives of fishers including fisher women expressed their willingness to take up aquaculture based livelihood activities in the natural brackishwaters with the facilitation of CIBA and State Department of Fisheries. During the occasion, CIBA scientists and staff cleaned the plastics and other waste materials on the sea shore adjacent to the CIBA hatcheries.
