The breeding technology will add a new surge to Indian mariculture with exponential increase in marine finfish production.
In a breakthrough in diversification of the country’s mariculture activities, the ICAR- Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (ICAR-CMFRI) has developed hatchery technology for picnic seabream (Acanthopagrus berda), a commercially important marine food fish.
Also known as black seabream and goldsilk seabream, the fish is known for its excellent meat quality and high economic value. It has high demand in domestic market with a price of around Rs 450 to 500 per kg. Locally called as karutha yeri, the fish is an excellent species for mariculture owing to its faster growth rate, strong resistance to diseases and ability to cope up with wide variations in environmental parameters such as salinity and temperature. The breeding technology was developed by the Karwar Research Station of ICAR-CMFRI.
Fishes collected from Karwar region were reared in the marine cage farm of the Station providing maturation diets, and regular ovarian biopsy was carried out to select matured fishes for breeding. The fishes spawned after 36 hours of inducement and the pelagic eggs hatched after 22 to 24 hours at a temperature of 28 to 30 0C. Fecundity was 0.25 million per female (450 g) and 86% of the eggs hatched after 24 hrs. Experimental larval rearing was carried out in 100 litre tanks with various live feed organisms such as Copepods, Rotifers and Artemia; stocking 100 eggs per litre. Metamorphosis of the larvae initiated in 24th day post hatch (DPH) with 9 per cent survival in a tank.
The achievement is expected to open up enormous scope for the country’s mariculture ventures in near future through species diversification. With the development of hatchery technology for picnic seabream, Indian mariculture is poised for a new surge with exponential increase in marine finfish production.
This is the seventh marine food fish of which breeding technology has been developed by the ICAR-CMFRI. It took around three years for the CMFRI scientists to develop the seed production technology for this fish. Earlier, the institute had succeeded in brood stock development of fishes like cobia, silver pompano, Indian pompano, orange-spotted grouper, pink ear emperor and John’s snapper.
