ICAR-Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute, Barrackpore, Kolkata organized an interactive workshop on ‘Management of openwater fisheries’ in collaboration with Directorate of Fisheries, Department of Fisheries, Govt. of Tripura at Agartala, Tripura during January 4-5, 2019. The objective of the workshop was to share vast work and achievement of ICAR-CIFRI in managing and enhancing fisheries in large waterbodies especially in reservoirs and wetlands of the country and how to plan and implement similar activities in the state of Tripura. The major focus was on simple and low-cost technologies (such as pen and cage aquaculture) and guidelines (fish stock enhancement) that are to be popularized in Dumbur reservoir, large lakes, barrages, swampy areas and rivers of Tripura for improving fish production.
In the Inaugural session, Chief Guest Shri Narendra Chandra Debbarma, Hon’ble Minister of Fisheries, Govt. of Tripura stated that the people of Tripura are mostly fish-eaters, which is an advantage for the fisheries sector. He sought CIFRI’s intervention in improving fish production from natural waterbodies so that the common people at large get the benefits.
Earlier Dr. B.K. Das, Director, ICAR-CIFRI, Barrackpore and Convenor of the workshop, welcomed the dignitaries and delegates (40 participants including Deputy Directors of Fisheries, Superintendents of Fisheries, Fishery Officers of Department of Fisheries, Govt. of Tripura; Professors of College of Fisheries, Lembucherra and Scientists from ICAR RC for NEH Region, Tripura Centre) expressed his happiness about Tripura being self-sufficient in seed production of Indian major and exotic carps, but emphasised that the Department of Fisheries, Govt. of Tripura should now focus on seed production of diversified fish species having local preference. He assured all support in terms of technology backstopping for management of openwater fisheries in the state of Tripura.
Shri G.R. Das, TCS, Director of Fisheries, Govt. of Tripura and joint Convenor of the workshop, while welcoming the scientists from ICAR-CIFRI, expressed his concerns that many of the small highly nutritious and delicious fishes that were abundantly available once upon a time in inundated paddy fields of Tripura are now not found.
In the Technical session I of the workshop, Dr. B.K. Das discussed management of openwater of India by ICAR-CIFRI; Prof. A.B. Patel, Head, Dept. of Aquaculture, College of Fisheries, Lembucherra discussed non-conventional feed resources available in the state of Tripura, that can be incorporated in fish feeds for replacing costly ingredients thus reducing feed cost; Dr. M.K. Datta, Associate Professor & Head, FRM Dept., CoF, Lembucherra flagged certain issues with openwater fisheries that should be addressed collaboratively and Dr. Dipesh Debnath, Scientist, ICAR-CIFRI, RC, Guwahati discussed cage aquaculture demonstrations and experiments done in different NE states, that can be replicated in Tripura.
In the Technical session II, Dr. A.K. Das, Principal Scientist, ICAR-CIFRI, Barrackpore shared his vast experience in cage aquaculture across different reservoirs and wetlands of India; Shri Ramanuj Chakraborty, Fishery Officer, Directorate of Fisheries, Govt. of Tripura presented the status of openwater fisheries resources of Tripura; Shri Bappi Basfore, Fishery Officer, Directorate of Fisheries, Govt. of Tripura presented different centrally sponsored schemes that are planned and adopted for development of openwater fisheries in Tripura and Dr. Sona Yengkokpam, Scientist, ICAR-CIFRI, RC, Guwahati discussed pen aquaculture demonstrations and experiments done in different NE states, which proved to be successful in terms of economic viability.
In the interactive-cum-plenary session, Shri Rameshwar Das, IFS, Secretary (Fisheries), Govt. of Tripura urged the scientists and departmental officials to seriously think out-of-box for making cage aquaculture practice in Tripura a success as it is in other states of India. Many suggestions were made by the participants, to which ICAR-CIFRI, Barrackpore team assured all technical guidance to the DoF-GoT for development of aquaculture and fisheries through scientific stock enhancement and enclosure culture technologies in openwater resources of Tripura. However, an agreement or MoU should be signed between ICAR-CIFRI and DoF-GoT for delineating roles and responsibilities for proper implementation of planned activities towards enhancing fish production from reservoirs/wetlands/lakes of Tripura.
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