Riding high on the success of the Matsya Mela, the department of fisheries has taken up a number of projects that will boost the growth of the industry.
Riding high on the success of the Matsya Mela, the department of fisheries has taken up a number of projects that will boost the growth of the industry. Despite ruling out the possibility of making the mela an annual event, the department will work towards having more such mini melas in districts and make the grand mela a biennial affair.
Dr NR Ramakrishna, joint director of fisheries (Inland), estimates the total turnover at nearly `50 lakh with nearly half of it coming from ornamental fish stalls and the remaining from food stalls. With these two neglected areas grabbing attention, the department of fisheries is leaving no stone unturned to push their growth.
The aqua park at Hessaraghatta will go a long way in promoting the ornamental fishing industry in the state. According to Ramakrishna, the park will be ready by the end of 2012. Apart from the `1.5 crore that has been provided towards infrastructure development around the area, the fisheries department will also help out with the facilities already available.
Ramakrishna said, “The park will be an alternative to ornamental fishes coming from other states. We have a good domestic market and at least 500 to 600 aquarium owners in Bangalore alone. But as these are not organised, we cannot determine the strength of the market.”
He added that the challenges involved in organising the ornamental fishing market lie in the fact that aquarium owners want at least 20 varieties of fish at one go. “This is not possible from the ordinary fish farmer. This is why they source it from other states,” he said. He hopes that the park will help in this regard.
“Each of the 12 private owners, we hope, will produce at least five to six varieties. This way, there will be at least 30 to 40 varieties of fish under one roof. We can distribute these in the market through wholesale marketers or owners of aquariums can directly come and buy it from the park,” he said.
Besides helping in the growth of the ornamental fish industry, the park will generate job opportunities, especially for women.
“The aqua park will work in two tiers. Production and marketing of seeds will be done by private owners in the park. The fingerlings will be given to rural women who will rear the fish for them,” he pointed out.
Based on an experiment in Devanahalli, fish rearing will be an alternative source of income for these women, who will only have to work part-time to feed the fish and can easily earn Rs4,000 to Rs5000. “The aqua park will act as the production hub and villages as the rearing hub,” he said.
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