MNL September 2020
MNL September 2020
MNL September 2020
CPF 3 BEST
APPROACH FOR AQUACULTURE
EDITORIAL BOARD
Mr. T. Dola Sankar IOFS
K. S. Srinivas IAS DIRECTOR (M)
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FOCUS AREA
INSTITUTE OF THE MONTH: CIFNET
CIFNET is all
set to take up
new challenges
A.K. Choudhury
Director, CIFNET
O
ur nation is all set to take the big plunge in its
Blue Revolution. The mandates of fisheries
industries are constantly changing, with
pressures of dwindling seafood resources and potential
of inland fisheries development. At this juncture, there
is one institution that stands like a beacon of hope for
creating proficient skilled labour in fishing, especially in
deep sea fishing.
also like to see that the resources available at CIFNET four-year degree level courses known as Bachelor of
are available for the fishermen. So, we would like to Fisheries Science (BFSc) with special emphasis on
extend our facilities to go beyond the institution and Nautical Background. This course has been recognised
visit fishermen villages, communities and harbours and by DG Shipping and approved by UGC. It is offered in
impart training to the fishermen,” said the Director. affiliated with CUSAT. Last year, BFSc course won the
recognition of the Kerala Public Service Commission.
CIFNET has always been updating its modules to match Students, graduating from this course, are not only
the requirement of the industry it is associating with. It having the prospects of getting jobs on board fishing
started off with two basic courses for deck hands and vessel as mate or second level officer, but also, in
engine drivers. “They were later remodified as Engine fisheries department under the State government in
Driver Fishing Vessel Course and Mate Fishing Vessel posts such as Assistant Director and Deputy Director
Course. These courses were for only 18 months. Again, or as technical staff in fish processing centres and
in 2005-’06 it was felt that these two basic courses technical lab assistants.”
need to have more scope of employability. To increase
the employability of our students, we again revised While the units in Vishakhapatnam and Chennai are
our syllabus and the 18-month course duration was offering their service and training people along the
increased to 24 months and courses were renamed as eastern coastal region – from West Bengal to Tamil Nadu
Vessel Navigator Course and Marine Fitter Course.” along Orissa and Andhra Pradesh up to Puducherry,
These courses are approved by the Ministry of Skill the one at Cochin is not just training personnel from
Development Enterprises. Kerala, but also those from neighbouring States like
Karnataka and Goa.
Besides these, CIFNET is offering two regular under
graduate degree courses. “In 2005, we also started As of now, CIFNET has excellent facilities to train
This programme, which is affiliated to Cochin University vessels and related research and academic spheres
of Science and Technology, Kochi and recognised by with confidence.
UGC, has an exhaustive curriculum designed to provide
profound practical knowledge on various aspects of The candidate who have successfully passed this
the fishing and nautical sciences and is recognised degree and the basic modular courses with required
by DG Shipping for certificate of competency (CoC) sea experience are exempted from all written papers
examinations. and directly (without Post-Sea courses) appear for the
Mate Fishing Vessel oral examination leading to the
The eligibility is 10 plus 2 with 50 per cent marks in issuance of Certificate of competency as Mate of a
all subjects of PCB or PCM and the selection of fishing vessel.
candidates for this course is through All India Entrance
Examination. The syllabus includes a detailed study of fishing,
different types of fishing operation, construction
This 4-year programme is aimed at producing a new of the fishing vessel, seamanship & navigation,
generation of experts in the fishing field who will be able study of engines and other machineries on board,
to take up any challenges in the operation of fishing maintenance of fishing vessels, oceanography and
A
total of 37501.04 tonnes of marine fish
landings was recorded from 87 selected
harbours during the month of August
2020. The catch was comprised of 13763.06
tonnes (37%) of Pelagic finfishes, 12874.30
tonnes (34%) of Demersal finfishes, 7725.21
tonnes (21%) of Crustaceans, 3129.61 tonnes
(8 %) of Molluscs and a meagre quantity of 8.85
tonnes of other items (Fig.1).
Considering the contributions of various fishery items in general, Coastal shrimps, Threadfin breams, Indian
mackerel, Tunas and Croakers were found as the major items landed during the period and these 5 fishery items
had together formed 49 % of the total catch (Fig.2).
69 Kottaipatnam 13.33
70 Visakhapatnam 1517.02
71 Nizampatnam 310.54 Fig.3 State wise fish Landings (in tonnes) during August 2020
72 Vodarevu 176.72
Estimations on boat arrivals
73 Andhra Machilipatnam 164.68
Pradesh A total of 22484 numbers of boat arrivals were recorded
74 Kakinada 128.01
during August 2020, of which the highest recording was
75 Pudimadaka 83.30 from Arnala harbour in Maharashtra (1678 nos.), and it
was followed by Veraval harbour with 1197 numbers of
76 Yanam 10.76
boat arrivals and Neendakara harbour with 1052 boats.
77 Paradeep 799.01
78 Balramgadi 707.82 The Ghoghla harbour in Gujarat had registered the
Odisha least boat arrival (3 nos.) during the period. The top
79 Bahabalpur 451.72
ten harbours in terms of boat arrivals are enlisted in
80 Balugaon 98.70 the table 4.
The Local
Connect
“Devi Seafood’s fair raw material
sourcing practices and prompt
payment practices help to build
a sustained and loyal relationship
with farmers.”
Brahmanandam Potru
Devi Sea Foods Limited
T
he new normal has set in. The brunt of pandemic
and subsequent lockdown is felt across the
board in the export sector. Devi Sea Foods of
Visakhapatnam is no different. Their entire supply chain
was disrupted. But they did not give in. They adapted
to the evolving scenario that kept unfolding through the
pandemic days.
The first and foremost concern was to maintain a DEVEE brand premium shrimp feed
steady raw material supply while ensuring the safety
of the workforce. “During the initial stages of lockdown raw material sourcing practices and prompt payment
shrimp farmers were challenged with running their daily practices help to build a sustained and loyal relationship
operations and uncertainty in demand from processing with farmers.”
facilities. Our processing facilities accommodated
harvests from such farmers and at the same time Devi Sea foods has always kept a robust supply chain.
provided assurance to farmers to buy their future Its integrated infrastructure included raw material
harvests.” sourced from its own farms and associate farms, which
make for over 60 per cent of its volume. Then there
That was an important step. The assurance from a are long standing supply arrangements and contract
processing unit of Devi Sea Foods’ capacity helped the farming to have better control over its raw material
farmers to steady themselves after the blow. “Devi’s fair sourcing.
Major Certifications
BRC Food Safety, BAP 4 Star Rated,
IFS Food, ASC Farm.
SPS - TBT
UPDATES
European Union - Supplemental rules
concerning surveillance,eradication and
disease free status
E
uropean Union has notified a commission
delegated regulation (EU) 2020/689 which
supplement rules that are already laid down in
the EU Animal Health Law ((EU) 2016/429).
imported fish products caught by illegal, unreported plants (or the products derived from them) in order to
and unregulated (IUU) fishing. confirm that they are not caught by IUU fishing.
Detailed regulations of notification and certification
In order to secure proper control on illegal fishing, the
and the specific list of designated aquatic animals and
Act will provide requirements for fishers, distributers,
plants will be stipulated through another ordinance.
importers and exporters. As per the act/regulation, the
Importers’ obligation is to obtain and attach a certificate Ref: TBT notification G/TBT/N/JPN/673 dated 14th Sep
when importing the designated aquatic animals and 2020 (docs.wto.org)
A
s per the provisional marine products exports data for the period April - September 2020, the export has
shown a decline of 25.19% in quantity, 17.12% in Rupee value and 22.96% in US$ earnings compared to
the same period last year (Table 1).
The COVID19 pandemic has severely affected the industry both in the production side and the market side. But
it is pertinent to note that the month wise exports during the period have shown an increasing trend in terms
of US$ value, showing the initial signs of market recovery and stabilization of the industry. Month wise export
performance for April to September 2020 is given at Table 2.
This report has been generated with the data compiled and reconciled by MPEDA for the period from April to June 2020;
July to August 2020 provisional data was extracted from DGCIS portal and September 2020 information taken from MPEDA
provisional data collection.
Among the major Items exported during the period April products, the USA continued to be the top destination
– August 2020 (provisional), frozen shrimp continued to for Indian seafood with exports worth US$ 801 million
be the foremost contributor in marine products exports with 41.15% share among the total exports. China
having a value of US$ 1565 million with 80.35% share ranked second with exports US$ 325.70 million having
in the total exports. The quantity & Rupee value share 16.72% share and the European Union ranked third
of frozen shrimp is 62.87% and 82.14% respectively. with exports of US$ 234.06 million having 12.02%
share. Japan is the fourth largest destination in exports
Looking at the overall exports, the unit value has worth US$ 215.64 million with 11.07% share.
increased by 11.14%, which is reflecting the better
price realized for Indian marine products during this During the period of review, the maximum export
period and also signifies the gap in demand and supply. cargo for marine products was handled by Vizag port
The major contributors that caused the elevation of unit with 32.22% share, and followed by Kochi (11.32%
value are frozen shrimp, frozen squid, dried items and share), Calcutta (10.83% share), JNPT (9.88% share),
live items. Krishpatnam (7.93% share). These are the top five
ports that handled 72% of the total marine products
Coming to the major markets for Indian Marine exports from the country.
It is pertinent to note that the unit value of frozen Q: Quantity in Tons, V: Value in Rs. Crores, $:
shrimp has increased by 3.12% and since it is the USD Million
main stake of Indian marine products, it is well-known
that any slight change in the unit of frozen shrimp can ITEM Share Apr- Aug- Apr- Aug- Growth
cause drastic changes in the total export earnings. The % 2020* 2019 (%)
unit value of other products has increased by 51.37%
which has contributed 7.12% in US$ earnings. FROZEN Q: 662.87 207263 291423 -28.88
SHRIMP V: 82.14 11474.84 14666.44 -21.76
$: 80.35 1565.00 2133.86 -26.66
The unit value has increased for some items such as UV$: 7.55 7.32 3.12
frozen squid by 11.81%, dried items by 25.78%, and
live items by 78.78%. Their cumulative share in the total
exports is 4.5%. If you look at the overall exports, the FROZEN Q: 11.70 38580 56622 -31.87
FISH V: 4.37 611.07 883.59 -30.84
unit value has increased by 11.14%, which indicates $: 4.19 81.53 128.52 -36.56
that slight gap in the demand and supply resulted in the UV$: 2.11 2.27 -6.90
increase in commodity prices.
FR Q: 4.68 15430 19093 -19.19
Basis Table 3, the export performance of major items CUTTLE V: 2.98 416.60 566.83 -26.50
in terms of quantity is illustrated in Fig. 3 and in US$ FISH $: 2.86 55.66 82.19 -32.28
terms is illustrated in Fig. 4. The export performance UV$: 3.61 4.30 -16.20
of major item groups compared with previous year in
terms of quantity is illustrated in Fig. 5 and in terms of FR Q: 4.11 13562 36437 -62.78
US$ value is given in Fig. 6. SQUID V: 2.86 400.06 883.46 -54.72
$: 2.75 53.47 128.49 -58.38
UV$: 3.94 3.53 11.81
Basis Table 4, the export performance of major markets CANADA Q: 1.90 6273 5667 10.70
compared with previous year in terms of quantity is V: 2.37 331.74 314.68 5.42
illustrated in Fig. 9 and in terms of US$ value is given $: 2.28 44.45 46.02 -3.41
in Fig. 10. UV$: 7.09 8.12 -12.75
4. Japan 14763 3 97
Q: 77.63 255938 383629 -33.29 5. Canada 2936 5 95
Total top V: 86.38 12067.42 15703.85 -23.16
10 $: 85.30 1661.28 2284.14 -27.27 6. Belgium 2086 5 95
UV$: 6.49 5.95 9.02
7. China 15749 8 92
United States
Total Q: 100.00 329689 517882 -36.34 8. 23062 11 89
Of America
V: 100.00 13969.89 18,922.10 -26.17
$: 100.00 1947.68 2,752.68 -29.24 9. Vietnam 1605 13 87
UV$: 5.91 5.32 11.14
United Arab
10. 766 25 75
Emirates
Performance of top 10 countries has been illustrated in
Fig. 11. These top ten countries are importing 85.3% of Source: Trademap
India’s marine products. D. Port Wise Export Summary:
In the top 10 countries as per Table 6, India’s marine Q: Quantity in Tons, V: Value in Rs. Crores, $: USD Million
products export share to each country is furnished in Share Apr - Aug- Apr- Aug- Growth
the Table 7. Ports
% 2020* 2019 (%)
Q: 24.66 81298 105572 -22.99
This signifies that there is ample potential available to
VIZAG V: 33.63 4697.76 5,605.17 -16.19
increase export share in these destinations. $: 32.22 627.51 815.53 -23.06
T
here is no doubt that the COVID-19 has affected • Drop in demand
the global fisheries market. The negative
influences can be broadly categorized in terms of • Possible duration of consumer market recession
slowdown in demand, growth in business expenditures,
supply reduction of aquaculture resources, rise in • Split of logistic chains
logistic costs and unavailability of human resources.
All these factors have had an adverse impact on the • Perspectives of HoReCa segment
performance of the industry.
The event was materialized with the initiation by
According to FAO data, the industry may face long- Federal Agency for Fisheries, All Russian Association
term recession even after quarantine restrictions are of Fishery Enterprises, Entrepreneurs and Exporters.
relaxed or removed. At this juncture, the Russian Mr. Ilya Shestakov, Deputy Minister of Agriculture
Federal Agency for Fisheries, All Russian Association & Head of the Federal Agency for Fisheries in his
of Fishery Enterprises, Entrepreneurs and Exporters introductory speech mentioned that there is 10%
jointly organized a limited access Online International increase in agriculture production this year in spite of
Conference “World Fish Market: International the pandemic.
Cooperation Vs. Pandemic” on September 22, 2020.
He also mentioned that they are in a mission to digitalize
The conference set the stage for interaction between the entire fishing industry to increase efficiency since
major trade partners in fisheries and for understanding digitalization is an essential element of a modern
the present situation in the pandemic period. General and competitive industry. Use of digital technologies
intent of the online conference was to have an increases the transparency and clarity of regulation, as
assessment on how things will be going on later and well as the efficiency of data processing, which is very
about the perspectives of Russian and world fisheries important.
market. The conference also expected to answer the
key questions like surviving global crisis and the future Mr. Marcio Castro de Souza, Senior Fishery Officer at
of the industry. The Conference was conducted with FAO for trade issues presented the FAO report on the
the provision of simultaneous interpretation in Russian State of World Fisheries (SOFIA). In his presentation,
& English. he expressed concern on overfishing and the depleting
fish stock in the ocean waters. The decline of global fish
The major topics for discussion were: stocks has implications for both the food security and
the livelihood of many communities around the world.
• Evaluation of the pandemic's influence on world Statistics show that by 2022, aquaculture will surpass
fisheries market the capture fisheries and by 2030, 53% of the total
• Scale of decline in fisheries production fishery production will be from aquaculture.
Mr. Fan Xubing, Managing Director and General Mr. Alexander Panov, Executive Director, Sberbank
Manager, Beijing Seabridge Marketing and Consulting spoke about the impact of new economic conditions
spoke on ‘Will China still be a main driver of world and financial stability of fishery enterprises. The
fisheries market?’ He explained that China will likely highlights of his talks were finished products, fuel price,
have increased influence on the global fish markets. and dynamics of national currency. He mentioned that
China is 2nd in seafood imports during the year 2019. economic, climatic and regulatory factors are the other
elements affecting the financial stability of fishery
China and Korea are Russia’s main export destinations. enterprises.
Russia’s whole frozen fish exports by species include
Alaskan Pollock, Herring, Cod and Pacific Salmon. He The Q&A session witnessed overwhelming response.
also expressed concerns over the detection COVID-19 The participants were mostly concerned about global
virus in seafood imports to China. demand drop.
The topic presented by Ms. Demi Korban, Business During discussion speakers pointed out the
Reporter, IntraFish International News Holding was following consequences:
‘COVID-19 impact on Seafood’. As per the survey
conducted by Intrafish showed that 49% of the industry • Demand drop
has been severely affected and with some impact on
the remaining 45% and minimal impact on balance 7%. • Expenditures growth (especially for companies with a
Due to COVID -19 countries shut their borders and big share of manual labor)
many fish buyers have been rethinking on how seafood
gets processed. Investments have been ploughed into • Changing behavior of consumers (frozen production
domestic or close-by by processing as this new level of demand rise, panic purchase of long expire date
conservatism on the entire supply chain can be seen. products)
She also observed that the sea food processors are
decreasing their dependence on China and COVID-19 • Desire to investigate local and neighboring markets
has accelerated this process. This is going to give
good potential to other Asian countries. Their survey • New role of online trade, its influence on current trade
also observed that the logistics supply chain was also order
hit by COVID-19 (Air Cargo 44%, Ocean Freight 24%,
Trucking 20% and Cold Storage 13%). Ms. Korban • HoReCa crises, refocusing on delivery and take away
• Digitalization (wish to avoid personal contacts) for Fisheries. He mentioned that in Russia, the sectors
which suffered the most are small enterprises which
• Fleet proceeding to sea problems (due to virus testing are finding it hard to fulfill the Russian Agency for
necessity and strict restrictions from foreign states) Health and Consumer Right’s requirements, producers
who use a lot of manual labor and HoReCa sector. At
The key trend which was emphasized by all the present, online trade is very promising and is found to
speakers is an increasing role of aquaculture caused be good for premium products. He also mentioned that
by the wish to be closer to the market and to provide the state of fish industry would depend on how long
sustainable delivery. pandemic influence will last and it is the time to analyze
the long-term impact which is going to happen in the
The conference was concluded by the closing remarks years to come.
of Mr. Ilya Shestakov, Deputy Minister of Agriculture of
the Russian Federation & Head of the Federal Agency The international conference “World Fish Market:
International Cooperation Vs Pandemic” was broadcast The event was moderated by Mr. Kirill Tokarev, Editor
in live format. For 2.5 hours, 11 speakers analyzed in Chief, TV presenter, RBC (Russian multimedia
COVID-19 pandemic influence on the fish market, holding). From MPEDA Mr. K S Srinivas, IAS Chairman,
identified current trends and gave forecasts for the Mr. Anil Kumar P, Joint Director, Dr. T R Gibinkumar,
future. Deputy Director & Ms. Biji K, JTO attended the online
conference.
About 281 people watched the broadcast, among
them 40% were from foreign countries viz., Norway, The discussion will be continued in offline format at IV
Denmark, Iceland, United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Global Fishery Forum & Seafood Expo Russia which
Latvia, Germany, Italy, Spain, Israel, Turkey, Iran, UAE, will take place on 6-8 July, 2021 in Saint-Petersburg.
Morocco, Mauritania, Mozambique, Senegal, Guinea The videos of the conference broadcast is available
Bissau, Comoro Islands, Madagascar, South Africa, on YouTube channel. (https://www.youtube.com/
India, China, South Korea, Chile and the USA. watch?v=N-1-7g4-COA&feature=youtu.be)
Reach - 28 K
Engagement - 2.4 K
Engagement - 2.3 %
Link Clicks - 44
Retweet - 46
Likes - 269
Followers - 1.9 K
Reach - 1.5 K
Interactions - 2.9 K
Impression - 25K
Web Tap - 8
Impression - 20.7 K
CTR - 4.9 %
W
ith more than 8000 kilometre-long coastal estimated loss of 20 to 25 per cent of the catch during
line, 2 million square kilometre of Exclusive the post harvest operations.
Economic Zone (EEZ) and half a million
square kilometre of Continental Shelf, India is a major Being the nodal agency for the holistic development of
marine fish producer in the world. The warm, fertile seafood industry in India, the Marine Products Export
inshore waters of India are among the most productive Development Authority (MPEDA) decided to dive deep
fishing grounds globally. into this problem. After detailed analysis, it was found
that the lower unit value realization and post-harvest
The country has about 50 major fishing harbors and losses can mainly be attributed to poor infrastructure
more than 100 minor fishing harbors, which contribute facilities at the fishing harbours and lack of professional
about 65 per cent of India’s total seafood exports in management.
terms of quantity. However, the unit value realization
for Indian sea-caught material is lower than those of To this end, MPEDA proposed to upgrade 25 major
the neighboring countries. In addition, there is an fishing harbours, which contribute lion's share of
c) Ice plant (i) Offices, dormitories, food court, drivers waiting area,
canteen
d) Reverse Osmosis plant and rain water harvesting
system (j) Vehicle parking areas
e) Automation equipments such as tripods, conveyor Currently, none of the harbours in the country has
belts, and pallet jacks for easier and better movement these facilities. The modernization project is expected
of fish within the harbour to give a major fillip to the seafood export sector with
higher value realization and less post-harvest losses.
f) Electrical substations Improved infrastructure, trained human resources and
support facilities will help us to move up the value chain
(g) Effluent treatment plant and realize our full export potential.
V.K. Dey
V K Dey has over three decades of experience in diverse sectors of seafood industry in Asia-
Pacific region. He was the Deputy Director of MPEDA and then associated with INFOFISH,
Malaysia. As part of INFOFISH, he was involved in several studies related to seafood industry
in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond, including setting up of Aqua-technology Park for
ornamental fish. MPEDA has published Living Jewels, a collection of his articles on ornamental
fish.
A
ngelfish, Pterophyllum scalare, originate from Angelfish are very popular and a favourite among
South American freshwater rivers and tributaries hobbyists as they are beautiful and look graceful in
such as the Amazon basin and Guyana River the aquarium. There are about 25 varieties now with
where the water bodies have densely overgrown unique colour patterns, single coloured ones like
aquatic plants. They are small genus of freshwater black, silver and gold and colour patterned ones such
fish from the family Cichlidae which are dearer to most as leopard, striped or zebra and lace-like, mottled or
aquarists. Angelfish prefer an environment with thick marble, half black etc. Black veil tail, diamond, ghost,
aquatic vegetation as in their natural habitat. Broad blushing, golden marble, pearl scale and koi are the
leaf aquatic plants are the favourites for Angelfish as other popular varieties.
they can lay their eggs on them. More than twenty-
five varieties of Angelfish, which have been developed The colour of the Black Angelfish is solid black while
through cross breeding of P scalare and P eimekei, the Silver is the normal colouring of wild Angel, with
are in the market today. They were bred selectively to four dark vertical bars running through a white body,
establish the new strain. Angelfish was introduced in the first passes through the eye, the second in front
the US market during the 1940s and then to Europe, of the top and bottom fin, the third through the top and
though it was described as early as 1840. bottom fin while the fourth at the beginning of the tail
fin. Some have black speckles over the anterior portion
The Angelfish is laterally compressed and has flat, of the body. The colour of the golden angels may
upright disc-like body. It looks like a disc on edge with vary from solid white to golden colour without other
long dorsal and ventral fins. The long fins coming out markings, over the head and back area with a mantle
of the top and bottom and have two feelers in front of of gold.
the anal fin. The long pectoral fins and wide spread tail,
giving a leafy appearance. Angelfish is aptly named as Zebra Angelfish have more vertical stripes which
“pterophyllum”, derived from the Greek word, meaning continue on right through the tail, while Half Black
‘winged leaf’ while “scalare” means like a flight of stairs, Angels are white in front and the black cuts right
referring to the dorsal fin. through the top and bottom fins right through the tail.
The Black Lace are just the beginning of the solid black
There are short finned and long finned varieties. The variety and the difference between the Black Lace and
tail is vertically oriented and has a shovel-like shape to Silver Angel is the intensity of colour especially on the
long and short depending upon the variety. With three fins where one can notice a frilly or lace like effect.
vertical bands on the body and fins and thinner and paler
bars in between, they look majestic and impressive Veiltail Angels have elongated fin and this could be
in appearance. The ideal water quality for Angelfish in all colour varieties depending on the selection of
is slightly acidic soft water (pH 6.8). The maximum breeding. Blushing Angels have red cheek area without
size is 6” in length. They can survive on artificial food, any pattern on the white body while Pearl Scale Angels
preferably on flake food, however live feed such as have rough looking scales which are in different colour
blood worms or brine shrimp and mosquito larvae are varieties.
well accepted.
Aquarium
plant of the month
Hygrophila difformis (Water wisteria) Cultivation
H
ygrophila difformis, commonly known as water
Water wisteria is easy to grow and as such it is a very
wisteria (though it is not closely related to true
popular plant for the tropical aquarium. It grows best in
wisteria), is an aquatic plant in the acanthus
good light with a nutrient rich water and substrate and
family. It is found in marshy habitats on the Indian
it benefits from additional CO2.
subcontinent in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal.
It can be easily propagated from cuttings. The water's
Stems can grow up to a height of 20 to 50 cm with a
temperature plays a vital role in determining the shape
width of 15 to 25 cm. It is generally considered as a
and structure of the leaves. When the temperature is
plant for the beginners, which will help create balance
high, they will grow larger with more space between
in the aquarium from the start.
each leaf than they would do in colder temperatures.
Add quality substrate to aid the roots of the plant to
Its rapid growth helps prevent algae because the plant
hold tightly in the aquarium.
absorbs a great number of nutrients from the water.
The shortage of micronutrients leads to pale leaves,
A quality substrate would be one that has the complete
which may be an indication that the aquarium needs
essential nutrients required for plants to grow and thrive.
fertiliser.
It’s essential to make sure to install the mechanical
filters that will not cause too much surface splashing
for keeping the plants undisturbed. Take care to apply
liquid water fertilizer, especially the ones that contain
Iron to experience a major growth and health benefits.
Heterophylly
Plant info
Family: Acanthaceae
Genus: Hygrophila
Type: Stem
Origin: Asia
Water wisteria is friendly and is compatible with most types of fish, but, it's best to keep them with smaller fish.
The larger fish could damage the thin leaves of the plant. They do well with smaller non-cichlid fish and should
never live with goldfish.
Adherence to COVID-19
Guidelines: MPEDA conducts
inspections at processing plants
Audits were carried out by field offices to ensure implementation of COVID-19
guidelines laid down by MPEDA at processing plants
I
n order to ensure adherence to COVID-19 guidelines
MANGALORE
laid down by MPEDA, the officials of the Regional
Divisions of MPEDA in Bhimavaram, Chennai, Goa,
MPEDA RD Mangalore officials visited processing/
Kochi, Maharashtra, Mangalore, Tuticorin, Veraval and
fishmeal plants of M/s. Raj Fishmeal & Oil Company,
Vizag inspected seafood processing plants at their
M/s. Mangalore Marine, M/s. F3 Marine, M/s. Geltec
respective regions.
and M/s. Seahath Canning. During the visit, it has been
observed that the above plants are implementing the
BHIMAVARAM
COVID-19 guidelines without fail.
The officials of MPEDA Sub Regional Division
CHENNAI
Bhimavaram inspected the processing plants of M/s.
Veerabhadra Exports Pvt. Ltd, Kakinada and M/s.
During the visit undertaken by MPEDA RD Chennai
Abad Overseas Pvt. Ltd, Nizampatnam. During the
officials to M/s. BMR Industries Pvt. Ltd., Royale
visit, it was found that they have been maintaining
Marine Impex Pvt. Ltd., M/s. Aquatica Frozen Foods
maximum precautions as per the guidelines to prevent
Global Pvt. Ltd. M/s Crystal Sea Foods Pvt. Ltd., M/s.
Coronavirus contamination.
K.V. Marine Exports Pvt. Ltd. And M/s. ABAD Overseas Pvt. Ltd., M/s. Gladson Exporters, M/s. Kondiya Fresh
Pvt. Ltd., they observed that the above plants are Foods, M/s. Ashok Impex, M/s. Diamond Aqua Fishes,
implementing the COVID-19 guidelines as prescribed M/s. J.R.S Traders, M/s. Surya Sea Food Exports,
by MPEDA. M/s. Vitality Aquaculture Pvt. Ltd, M/s. V.V. Marine
Products, M/s. Peninsular Fisheries Pvt. Ltd., M/s. JRJ
KOCHI Sea Foods India Pvt. Ltd., M/s. Cascarino Enterprises,
M/s. Hameed Marine Pvt. Ltd., M/s. Messiah Fisheries,
The officers of RD Kochi had visited the processing M/s. Asixa Marine, M/s. Britto Sea Foods, M/s. Marble
plants M/s. Mangala Marine Exim, M/s. Indian Marine Valley Foods & Beverages (p) Ltd, M/s. Premier Marine
Industries, M/s. Uniroyal Marine Exports Ltd and M/s. Products (p) Ltd, M/s. Prince Sea Foods and M/s.
Kay Kay Exports. During the visit, it has been observed Amalya Sea Foods.
that the above plants are following the guidelines
in the units, strict checking of body temperature of During the visit, it was observed that workers/visitors
all employees and visitors, social distancing and are checked for compliance that includes wearing face
sanitization of packing material by 1% hypochlorite masks, disinfection of vehicle tires by spreading strong
etc., sanitization, visual observation and reporting disinfectant, checking of body temperature by an
of symptoms, and provision of quarters and canteen infrared thermometer, hand sanitization using approved
facilities to the workers to avoid social contacts. sanitizer (Ethanol, 75%, or 1% hypochlorite) etc. Visitors
are enquired about the general health condition and
TUTICORIN requested to declare if any have any of the symptoms
associated with COVID-19 like cough, shortness of
Officials of MPEDA’s Sub Regional Division Tuticorin breath, breathing difficulty, fatigue, headache, etc. At
visited the following seafood establishments: M/s. the entrance of the production units, posters are pasted/
Asvini Fisheries, M/s. Nila Seafoods Pvt. Ltd., M/s. displayed on the wall regarding the inspection of hand
Diamond Seafood Exports, M/s. Kadalkanny Frozen washing, wearing of face mask, social distance, etc to
Foods, M/s. Theva & Co,M/s. Edhayam Frozen Foods create awareness about COVID-19 and undertaking
It has been found that from entry point to shipment During the visit, it was found that the processing plants
point the Unit Officials, workers and other staff were are following COVID-19 guidelines properly. Few minor
maintaining the COVID-19 SOP’s. The units are having deficiencies pointed out were rectified by the units
a system of CCP-3 for packing and labelling. All the immediately.
Source: FishBase
I
ndia’s first Asian private seabass (Lates calcarifer) "We had discussions with him. He and his wife became
hatchery has been set up by three graduates from our angel investors. The shrimp hatchery building which
the Mangalore Fisheries College. he had bought earlier is now the sea bass hatchery,"
Kaushik told IANS.
Established with technical support from the ICAR
Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture (CIBA) According to The New Indian Express, KK Vijayan,
in Chennai, it is the first start-up of its kind in India’s Director of CIBA, called the initiative a milestone in
private sector. brackishwater aquaculture.
An MoU was signed between the CIBA and Canares “It is a path-breaking development in country’s
Aquaculture, which is owned by the graduates, aquaculture sector with youngsters coming to this field.
allowing them to use CIBA’s technology for seabass Start-up ventures will pave way for a resurgence and
seed production in exchange for 5,000 rupees for growth in the brackishwater aquaculture, especially
transfer of their technology and 10 per cent royalty on Asian seabass farming in the country,” he said.
the net profit of the company. Canares has 80 tanks
in the hatchery, giving them the capacity to produce 3 Vijayan noted that the private sector has been reluctant
million fish a year. to enter marine fish seed production, due to the relatively
long production cycle and need for unique skill sets to
Karthik Gowda VS, Kaushik Alike and Sachin V Savan rear marine fish larvae.“It is heartening to see fisheries
were inspired to launch the venture following a visit to graduates becoming aquaculture entrepreneurs. Since
CIBA’s seabass hatchery at Muttukadu experimental they are equipped with technical skills in the area, they
station during their degree programme. CIBA helped to are more likely to become successful entrepreneurs,”
enabled them to obtain funding to launch the firm from he said.
industrialist HS Gajanan, who owned a defunct shrimp -www.thefishsite.com
hatchery.
*GST @ 5% is extra
P
rime Minister Narendra Modi on 10/09/2020 help bring variety and new technologies in the sector.
launched Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), He said that the steps taken by the government will
a flagship scheme for focused and sustainable boost India’s aim to become self-reliant.
development of fisheries sector in the country.
PM said that farmers played a pivotal role in providing
PM Modi also inaugurated the e-Gopala App, a food to the nation during the lockdown phase and when
comprehensive breed improvement marketplace and coronavirus was spreading.
information portal for direct use of farmers.
Highlighting the success of the PM KISAN scheme in
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “People engaged the state, the Prime minister said that Bihar’s 75 lakh
in pisciculture will benefit largely from this scheme. farmers have received more than Rs 6,000 crore due
It is our aim that in the next 3-4 years we double our to the scheme.
production and give fisheries sector a boost.”
The project in Bihar envisages investment of Rs 1,390
He spoke Jyoti Mandal, Raju, Brijesh and Monica, crore with the central share of Rs 535 crore and the
farmers who are engaged in animal husbandry additional fish production target pegged at three lakh
and fisheries sector and said that their stories have tons. During the current fiscal, the Union government
encouraged the prime minister and are a source of has sanctioned Bihar’s proposal costing Rs 107 crore.
inspiration to farmers across the nation.
At present, no digital platform is available in the country
“PMMSY will pave the path for a renewed White for farmers managing livestock including buying
revolution (dairy sector) and Sweet revolution and selling of disease free germplasm in all forms,
(apiculture sector),” the prime minister said. He further availability of quality breeding services and guiding
added that 21 states in India will launch the scheme farmers for animal nutrition, treatment of animals using
and will boost for the fortunes of several milkmen and appropriate medicine.
apiculturists.
There is no mechanism to send alerts on due date
The PMMSY scheme will see an estimated investment for vaccination, pregnancy diagnosis and calving
of Rs 20,050 crore from 2020-21 to 2024-25 as part among other issues and inform farmers about various
of Aatmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) package. government schemes and campaigns in the area.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), this is
The e-Gopala app will provide solutions to farmers on
the highest ever investment in the fisheries sector.
all these aspects.
Prime Minister also outlined that the project will also
The PMMSY aims at enhancing fish production by an
boost Ganga cleanliness projects and subsequently
additional 70 lakh ton by 2024-25, increasing fisheries
the aim to provide clean environment to dolphins under
export earnings to Rs 1,00,000 crore by 2024-25,
Project Dolphin will also receive a boost.
doubling of incomes of fishers and fish farmers,
Prime Minister Modi also lauded Nitish Kumar, Bihar’s reducing post-harvest losses from 20-25 per cent to
chief minister, for providing farmers with support during about 10 per cent and generation of additional 55 lakhs
the times of coronavirus pandemic. direct and indirect gainful employment opportunities in
fisheries sector and allied activities.
Bihar CM Nitish Kumar said that the project will allow
people involved in pisciculture and animal husbandry to -www.hindustantimes.com