Fisheries Minister J. Mercykutty Amma has said that the government is planning to enhance production of indigenous fish varieties in inland waterbodies.
Speaking after inaugurating the peninsular carp hatchery at Thalapuzha in Wayanad district, the first such initiative in the country, on Tuesday, Ms. Mercykutty Amma said the project envisaged conservation and enrichment of indigenous carp variety of fish.
The project also aims to ensure food security, especially food security of tribal people in the district, the Minister said.
Farmers in the district should come forward to ensure availability of indigenous fish varieties and eliminate over-dependence on other districts for fish, Ms. Mercykutty Amma said.
Spawns will be produced at the centre, and they will be reared at a fingerlings rearing farm at Karapuzha. Later, they will be disbursed to farmers and released in reservoirs inside the forest.
The hatchery unit has been set up with technical assistance from the Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture, Bengaluru, at a cost of ₹1.56 core. It has the capacity to produce 10 lakh spawns a year.
The fingerlings rearing farm at Karapuzha has been set up at a cost of ₹1.7 crore, and it can rear 30 lakh fingerlings a year.
