48 JUNE 2016 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WAS.ORG 8,000 ha of backwaters and studied the adoption of sustainable capture based aquaculture by traditional fishers in Uppunda. Thomas (2013) showed the rearing of mangrove red snapper in estuaries using wild fingerlings and also worked on the economics of Lutjanus argentimaculatus and Lates calcarifer of cage culture in Uppunda. Production of Asian Seabass in India Asian seabass Lates calcarifer is a preferred species for brackishwater culture because the species is euryhaline and can easily adapt to changing water quality conditions (Kuldeep Kumar Lal 1991). It is widely distributed in tropical and sub-tropical areas of the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean (FAO 1974). Global aquaculture production of Asian seabass has increased from 20,986 t in 2000 to 75,374 t in 2013. In India, the wild catch is from brackishwater bodies, mainly along the east coast. Seabass catch in marine gears is reported under perch landings in CMFRI annual fish catch estimates. Culture of this species was promoted by RGCA in brackishwater ponds. The species is slowly becoming familiar to Indian farmers. Seabass production increased from 278 t in 2009-2010 to 474 t in 2012-2013 (Table 1; MPEDA 2010, 2012, 2013). Seabass aquaculture was first practiced in ponds in Southeast Asia and Australia, mainly in ponds. Recently the species is being cultured in cages. Table 2 provides a summary of marine cage culture practices of seabass in different Asian countries (Kongkeo et al. 2010). The main problems are cannibalism during juvenile stages and the huge amount of trash fish that is needed for feeding. Demonstrations for popularizing pond culture in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha and West Bengal were done by the Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture (CIBA) in 2013 with funding from the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB). The RGCA perfected cage culture systems in ponds. Farmers must depend on wild seed because hatchery-reared fingerlings are scarce. Polyculture with tilapia is practiced in many parts of the country, especially Andhra Pradesh. Cage Culture Practices in Uppunda Cage construction and maintenance. Rectangular cages are 6 × 2 × 2 m and constructed with a galvanized iron pipe frame. The outer cage is 48-mm, HDPE mesh along with a net attached The growth, if a commercial feed was used, would be better than only feeding trash fish. Economics was worked out for the first year (2009) and for 2015. Comparison of the change in investment and revenue over these two years was done. Factors responsible for the success of cage culture were analyzed and the schemes available for cage culture were discussed in brief. Sustainability of cage culture and possibility of leasing water body to a private entrepreneur was studied. Development of Mariculture in India The CMFRI started open-sea cage culture demonstrations in 2006-2007 with the assistance of DAHDF, Government of India at Vishakapatnam. Then, several demonstrations were carried out along the coastline across India. Open-sea floating cages were launched at Sutrapada (Gujarat), Vasai (Maharashtra), Mangalore (Karnataka), Cochin (Kerala), Pulicat (Tamil Nadu), Nellore, Kakinada, Baruva (Andhra Pradesh) and Balasore (Odisha) by CMFRI, in participation with the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) (Singh et al. 2014). CMFRI demonstrated participatory open sea cage culture in Uppunda and obtained a harvest of 2,085 t of sea bass (Dineshbabu et al. 2009). Dineshbabu (2012) showed in detail about capture based aquaculture in estuaries in Karnataka and the huge potential to develop cage farming in TABLE 1. Cultured seabass production in India (t). State 2009-10 2011-12 2012-13 West Bengal 120 218 153 Odisha 1.5 18 25 Andhra Pradesh 30 143 35 Tamil Nadu 40 3 55 Kerala 2.2 0.4 3 Karnataka - 1.7 11 Maharashtra 86 120 193 Total 279.7 504.1 474 Source : MPEDA 2010, 2012, 2013 TABLE 2. Seabass cage culture in different Asian countries (from Kongkeo et al. 2010). Country SD/m3 Seed Culture Harvest Survival Production Farm-gate sources period (mo) size (kg) (%) (kg/ m3) price (US$/kg) China 45 Hatchery/ 6-10 0.6 85 20 2.50 imported Indonesia 15-20 Hatchery 9-10 0.5-0.6 70-90 7.5-10 3.00 Thailand 5-7 Hatchery 6-8 0.6-1.0 80-90 2.4-6.3 3.50-5.00 Vietnam 20 Hatchery/ 8 1.0 76.5 10-15 2.50 wild
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