Two years of research have paid rich dividends to the scientists of Kerala University of Fisheries Science (KUFOS) at Kochi as they have successfully perfected a technology in captive breeding of Indigo Barb, an ornamental fish which was facing the threat of extinction due to a variety of reasons. And the technology is expected to bring a windfall to fishermen across the country who can breed this ornamental fish variety with meagre investments and labour.
Indigo Barb, known for its distinct style vertical bands over the olive grey body, is a rage ornamental fish. A single fish seedling commands a premium of three US dollars in the international market and it is sure that this would supplement the income of fishermen along the East and West Coasts of India, said Dr Anvar Ali, assistant professor of KUFOS, who led the team of researchers to perfect the captivity breeding technology.
The Indigo Barb, which was a rare species of ornamental fish found along the Goa and Karnataka coasts were facing extinction due to over fishing, pollution and urbanization.
“This was a collaborative work featuring KUFOS and Central Coastal Agricultural Research Institute (CCARI) in Goa. The CCARI supplied us with brood stock fishes (parent fishes) collected from freshwater streams in the backwaters of Goa. We developed the artificial breeding technology of Indigo Barb from the experiments held at the hatchery of KUFOS. The species was bred in captivity with and without hormone induction in indoor and outdoor systems. Using this simple, farmer-friendly technology, we were able to produce more than 75-100 young fish from one mother fish,” said Dr Anvar Ali.
He said that fish farmers have to use a 80-day-long process to produce Indigo Barb seedlings in artificial ponds in a commercial manner and bring them to the market. This package of practice for the seed production of the variety will provide alternative livelihood opportunities to the local communities in Goa and eventually to other regions of the country, said Dr Ali.