Young experts on a drive to save aquaculture

The past few years have not been good for the Indian aquaculture fisheries, as the antibiotic residue in its products has led to its ban by the European Union.

This has led to a complete halt in aquaculture product export, including the export of succulent jumbo white prawns, which has caused a loss of over Rs2,000 crore in the past few years.

To come of it, the college of fisheries has started training a new generation of fisheries graduates, who will specialise in fish pharmacology and toxicology.

Dr KM Shankar, dean of Mangalore Fisheries College, affiliated to Bidar-based Karnataka Veterinary, Animal Fishery Sciences University (KVAFSU), explained, “Veterinary experts usually prescribe medicines and antibiotics for managing aquaculture infections. But it is learnt through research that aquaculture needed a special type of infection management that only a fishery graduate can understand, as he is well-versed with the anatomy of aquaculture animals. They will also be trained to form molecules, compositions, and also determine dosage and periodicity, which will be aquaculture-centric.”

Fisheries sector, besides providing employment for lakhs of people, produces 7 million metric tonnes of fish and shellfish, annually.

Furthermore, the country is earning about `10,000 crore annually by export of fisheries products.

Till recently, about 90% of fish production was contributed by fish caught from sea and freshwater reservoirs.

But, of late, the quantity from the wild has declined to 45% due to over-exploitation and pollution.

Fortunately, the technology for culture of fish and shrimp — aquaculture — has improved significantly and is contributing to nearly 52% of total fish production.

Although aquaculture is expanding at 6%-8% annually, losses due to export rejections due to antibiotic residues are severe.