Macrobrachium rosenbergii widely known as Giant Prawn (GP) is one of the most important freshwater prawn species widely cultured in several tropical and sub-tropical countries around the world. The global production of GP in 2021 was 3,13,756 t with a value of over $ 2.45 billion. China is the top producer with a production of 1,71,263 t accounting for 54.4% of the global production. Bangladesh, Thailand, Myanmar, and India are the other major producers of GP. India used to be the second largest producer of GP in 2005, however, since then the production showed a declining trend till 2012 with production declining from 42,800 t in 2005 to 3,333 t in 2012. The major reasons for the declining production were slow growth rate, outbreak of diseases and low survival during grow-out, which led to poor production and declining profit for the farmers. However, since 2013 there has been a gradual increase in production till 2020, and in 2021 the production showed a 2.5-fold increase from 2020 production. Considering the huge natural resources available for GP farming in the country and the high value it fetches, demand in domestic and export markets, and its potential to enhance the income of farmers, there is an urgent need to further expand GP farming in India. The present paper provides a brief status update on global GP farming with special reference to India and suggests measures for enhancing the aquaculture production of GP in India.
The high cost of fish oil and fishmeal has necessitated the search for alternative ingredients. Palm oil and sesame oil are plausible alternatives to fish oil. Palm oil is saturated while sesame oil is unsaturated. Five experimental diets were made with varying inclusion of crude sesame and palm oil extract. The inclusion percentages of crude sesame extract (CSE) and crude palm extract (CPE), CSE: CPE, were as follows; Feed 1, 25:5; Feed 2, 20:10; Feed 3, 15:15; Feed 4, 10:5; Feed 5, 5:25 and Feed 6(commercial feed). African catfish fingerlings were stocked in aquaria tanks in three replication. The fish were fed to satiation for 70 days with the feeds. After 70 days of feeding experiment, results showed that alanine amino transferase and aspartate amino transferase were both lowest for catfish fed feed F1, F2 and F3. The catfish had significantly higher digestibility for crude sesame extract (CSE) (93.34±0.22 %) than for crude palm extract, (CPE) 78.98 ± 0.11%. Consequently, treatment Feed F1 had the highest digestibility of 91.32 ± 0.07%, followed by feed F2, 82.25 ± 0.04%. The least digested feeds were Feed 4, (20% CPE) and feed 5, (25% CPE), 70.12 ± 0.06%and 70.23 ± 0.09% respectively. The fatty acids of CPE are dominated by saturated fatty acids (SFAs), which constitute about 49.9±0.08% of the total fatty acids. Among the SFAs hexadecanoic acid or palmitic acid, comprising 46.0 ±0.02% of the total fatty acid. Oleic acid, C18:1 accounts for 43.4 ±0.08%. The fatty acid of CSE is dominated by monounsaturated C18:1 linoleic acid. Oleic acid forms about 45.44±0.01% of the total lipid of sesame crude extract. Sesame extract also has 39.48±0.14 %, C18:2 polyunsaturated fatty acids linoleic acid. Catfish Fatty acids content resembles the fatty acid content of the feeds. The ∑SFA shows that catfish fed with feed F1 had the lowest somatic SFA of 48.58 %. The catfish fed feed 1 had more PUFA than the MUFA or SFA. Incorporation of sesame seed oil in the diets of C. gariepinus produces fish high in PUFA.
Globally, there is a growing need for diverse value-added food items. Value Addition refers to "any additional activity that in one way or another changes the nature of a product thus adding to its value at the time of sale". Three distinct traditional fish preservation procedures identified in Jammu & Kashmir are smoking, sun drying, and pickling collectively called as Curing. Cured fish consumption is higher in locations with restricted access to fresh fish, such as interior markets and hilly areas. This is also the most economical technique of preservation because no expensive technology is employed. In India, around 20% of the fish collected is preserved through curing. Sun drying is the most extensively used traditional method of preservation, by reducing the moisture content of the fish, which inhibit the activities of bacteria and fungi. Smoked fish are known locally as fari, sun-dried fish as hugaad, and pickled fish as gaad anchaar. Fisherwomen often work as vendors, which is not economically sustainable. Because they must sell the catch within a day, they may have to sell it at a low price that does not pay their expenses. To prevent this and increase income, businesses can add value to fish goods. some value-added fish products are, fish pickle, sauce, pasta, fish cutlets, fish balls, noodles and Ready-To-Eat Fish Curry. Value addition can increase profitability in the fish processing sector, which is becoming increasingly competitive and expensive. Fish-based goods in convenient ready-to-eat formats are in high demand. Effective marketing of new value-added products requires careful consideration of appearance, packaging, and display. The retail package should be clean, sharp, and transparent, with appealing contents for consumers. This evaluation intends to transition in J&K from producing safe and high-quality fishery products for local use to export.
The study was undertaken with the main objective of comparative analysis of socioeconomic characteristics of aquaculture fish farmers with specific objective of determining the level of influence of socioeconomic variables on the status of aquaculture fish farmers for subsequent identification and formulation of policy framework that will suit the peculiar problem of the aquaculture fish farmers with the aim of embarking on sustainable large-scale aquaculture fish production in Borno State of Nigeria. Data for the study were obtained from both primary and secondary sources on socioeconomic characteristics of aquaculture fish farmers. Quantitative technique with descriptive statistics was employed in the comparative analysis and interpretation of the data on the socioeconomic characteristics of aquaculture fish farmers in the study area. Comparatively, the result shows Konduga local Government has more influence on the socioeconomic status of the aquaculture fish farmers at the high and lowest level categories of the comparative analysis than Jere local government at 80% and 20% level respectively in the study area. Recommendation were made for the transformation of the socioeconomic characteristics of the aquaculture fish farmers for the upliftment of the general well-being of the farmers by attainment of the economic, social and environmental requirement for truly sustainable large-scale aquaculture fish farming in the study area.
The study investigated the prevalence of Aeromonas spp. and Escherichia coli, pathogens associated with diseases in both fish and humans, within retail market Labeo rohita and L. catla samples obtained from the Diamond Harbour region of the Ganges delta. The primary focus was to assess the potential risks posed by these bacteria in terms of antibiotic resistance. A total of 46 presumptive Aeromonas and 29 nos of E. coli strains were successfully isolated from the sampled retail market carps. Among the isolated aeromonads, A. sobriae (15) and A. hydrophila (13) were dominant. The study revealed that 70 strains, comprising 42 aeromonads and 28 Escherichia coli, exhibited multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR). Notably, a significantly higher percentage of MAR was observed in bacterial strains isolated during the monsoon season. Analysis of the antibiotic resistance profiles demonstrated a total of 43 distinct profiles among the isolated strains. The contamination of farmed carps, particularly with enteric bacteria such as Escherichia coli, emerged as a significant concern for consumers in retail markets. The high frequency of multiple antibiotic-resistant aeromonads and Escherichia coli in retail carps, coupled with their potential dissemination through the food chain, poses serious threats to consumer health. Importantly, this report is likely the inaugural documentation of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in aquacultured fish in the Diamond Harbour region of West Bengal. Given its proximity to the Ganges delta, there is a pressing need for ongoing and systematic documentation to address and mitigate these emerging health risks.
