The State Government has decided to develop its fish farm at the Narayan Sagar in Angul district into a heritage site under the Rastriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) assistance. An amount of Rs 6.45 crore has been sanctioned for the purpose.
This decision was taken on Friday by the State-level Sanctioning Committee under the RKVY. Chief Secretary AP Padhi chaired the meeting at which Department of Fisheries and Animal Resources Development (DoF&ARD) Secretary Bishnupada Sethi presented the details on the project.
Way back in 1957, the first-ever successful induced breeding of carp fishes was accomplished by Dr Hl Chaudhury and Dr KH Alikunhi in the Angul fish farm. This event was heralded as a landmark achievement in development of fisheries and aquaculture in India.
The pioneering work, carried out by the Pond Culture Division, Cuttack under the administrative control of the Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute (CIFA) has revolutionised fish production in the country.
Prior to this achievement, farmers used to collect fish seed from the wild riverine sources. “Induced breeding technology has enabled the fish farmers get fish seed of right species at right time and of right size.” said a senior DoFARD official.
To commemorate the historic achievement, the DoF&ARD and the CIFA have jointly installed a memorial plaque at the embankment of the Narayan Sagar pond.
The farm has two parts situated on either side of the road. The portion of the farm adjacent to the office building of the district fisheries officer has been leased out. The other part has an area of 11 acre where the first induced breeding was done.
Now, the project fund would be utilised to develop and upgrade the existing Government fish farm to a heritage farm for breeding and seed production of Indian major carp by establishing an ornamental fish hatchery and aquarium, an exhibition hall, a training hall, a trainee hostel for training of fish farmers with other basic infrastructure like water supply facility, an approach road, etc., for the fish farm.
An ornamental fish culture demonstration unit at a cost of Rs 40 lakh would help popularise the ornamental fish culture technology as a viable livelihood option in western Odisha. The facility would produce 2.50 lakh ornamental fish seed per year like Gold Fish, guppy, molly, Angel Fish, tiger barb, freshwater shark, golden carp, etc.
By developing the farm, an additional fish seed production of 10 million spawns, 2.50 lakh ornamental fish seed, skill development of 600 farmers/ SHGs/ PFCS and recreational and educational facility for public would be achieved, said an official.