66 JUNE 2017 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WAS.ORG groundnut (peanut) oil cake at a 1:1 ratio as feed, and some resort to even cheaper options like kitchen waste, vegetables, cereals and pulse waste, etc. As a result, farmers are unable to realize the production potential of their ponds. Island-Based Fish Feed Ingredients In general, farmers lack knowledge about alternative feed ingredients that are available in ANI. Educating farmers to use underutilized, indigenous fish feed ingredients would enable them to increase the production at a more affordable price. Proper feeding practices enable farmers to increase stocking density, thereby increasing production per unit area. In ANI, around 21,900 ha area is used for coconut cultivation, generating around 53,700 t/yr of coconut oil cake. This has a market price of only US$ 0.29/kg (Indian Horticulture Database 2013), which is half the price of groundnut oil cake available in the Islands. Local feeds can be formulated by substituting groundnut oil cake with coconut oil cake. In ANI, abundant fishery resources provide a natural advantage for farmers because they can easily afford fish like sardines, which are sold for a low price of around US$ 0.30-0.40/ kg. Trash fish resulting from fisheries bycatch and which are generally of low economic value can also serve as a major protein source (Dam Roy et al. 2016). Fishmeal provides the essential amino acid requirements that are not satisfied by coconut oil cake and other ingredients. Leaves, tubers or stems of different plants can also be considered for use as local feed ingredients. Coastal waters have abundant seaweeds, with around 105 species available, that can be used as a feed additive (Mohanraju and Tanushree 2012). Seaweeds are rich in antioxidants and have antimicrobial properties. Small-scale Feed Mill at ICAR-CIARI The Indian Council of Agricultural Research – Central Island Agricultural Research Institute (ICAR-CIARI) has played a vital role in development of the fisheries sector in the Islands for the past few decades. The organization supports farmers with trainings and workshops to disseminate the latest technologies in aquaculture through the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) located in all three districts of ANI. A small-scale feed mill with a production capacity of 10-20 kg/hr has been established by the Fisheries Science Division of ICAR-CIARI at the Marine Research Laboratory, Port Blair to supply fish feed at an affordable price to farmers. The feed mill consists of basic machinery such as a grinder, mixer, pelletizer, autoclave and a drier (Fig. 1). The grinder is used to make fine FIGURE 2. Autoclaving and addition of vitamin and mineral premix.
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