WWW.WAS.ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • JUNE 2017 67 (CONTINUED ON PAGE 68) powder of the ingredients, which is then thoroughly mixed with other powdered ingredients using the mixer. After proper mixing, ingredients are made into dough and autoclaved to ensure sterilization and to help nullify antinutritional factors present in plant-based feed ingredients and also increase the binding ability of carbohydrate sources (Fig. 2). A vitamin and mineral premix is added after autoclaving. Then the pelletizer produces pellets of different sizes based on the size of fish to be fed (Fig. 3). The feed mill is working towards producing low-cost, good-quality feed by using island-based ingredients. So far, three different types of fish feeds have been formulated by ICAR-CIARI: Carp Grower Feed. The carp grower feed developed is made using abundantly available island-based ingredients such as fishmeal, coconut oil cake, paddy meal, broken rice, tapioca flour and rice bran, in combination with other mainland-based ingredients such as groundnut oil cake, corn flour and wheat flour. The feed was formulated to contain 25 percent protein and 6 percent lipid. The carp feed was distributed to farmers through KVK for field evaluation. Freshwater Prawn Feed. The feed for the freshwater prawn Macrobrachium lar was prepared to contain 45 percent protein and 8 percent lipid with fishmeal, shrimp head meal, squid and cuttlefish meal, groundnut oil cake and coconut oil cake as protein sources, rice bran and broken rice as energy sources and tapioca flour as the binding agent. The prawn feed was prepared and distributed for field evaluation through KVK to meet the needs of farmers carrying out freshwater prawn culture in North and Middle Andaman. Broodstock Feed. After the successful breeding of three anemonefish species fed with fish, shrimp and clam meat, an assessment will be made of using artificial feed on the gonadal growth and maturity of marine ornamental fishes at ICAR-CIARI. A broodstock feed was formulated to contain 55 percent protein and 10 percent lipid using fishmeal, squid and cuttlefish meal, shrimp head meal as protein sources and corn flour and tapioca flour as energy sources. A feeding trial is in progress for evaluation of this broodstock feed. A three-day training program conducted by ICAR-CIARI educated farmers and other small-scale entrepreneurs about the advantages of feed-based aquaculture. Farmers received hands-on training about fish feed preparation and learned the basics about Island-based feed ingredients, and were encouraged to set up a mini feed mill. At the end of the training, farmers from South Andaman came forward to commit to setting up a small-scale feed mill with technical support from ICAR-CIARI. FIGURE 3. Pelletizing and drying of feed.
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