World Aquaculture Magazine - September 2021

WWW.WA S .ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • SEP TEMBER 2021 69 In addition to creating awareness programs on these issues, fish seed stocking protocols, nursery management practices, cage and pen farming practices, seed acclimatization, basic knowledge of ecosystem process and fish production were explained through in- house trainings at project sites and at the CIFRI headquarters. They were also taken to visit successfully functioning fisheries cooperative societies inWest Bengal to understand the benefits and functioning of such societies for oxbow lake fisheries management. Conclusion The implementation of integrated ecosystem-based fisheries management model in four oxbow lakes of East Champaran, Bihar in a participatory mode is the first of its kind in India. This will pave the way for holistic scientific fisheries development in such inland natural water bodies, moving a step forward toward second Blue Revolution and doubling farmers’ income. The projects have brought considerable change to the skills and attitude of fishers toward co-management and mobilized them for adoption of scientific wetland fisheries management in addition to enhancing fish yield and livelihoods. The success of the interventions in these oxbow lakes can serve as a model for development of fisheries in East and Northeastern India. Such approach of the integrated wetland management will go a long way to improving the sustainability of fisheries management in India. Acknowledgments The authors are deeply indebted to scientist colleagues R. Baitha, H.S. Swain, L. Lianthuamluaia and G. Chandra for their intellectual input and active co-operation in implementing the project activities. The authors acknowledge the National Fisheries Development Board, Hyderabad for funding support. The authors also acknowledge the support and cooperation of Bihar State Fisheries Department, project field staffs and fishers for implementation of the project. Notes M.A. Hassan*, B.K. Das, P. Mishal, G. Karnatak, Suman Kumari, ICAR-Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute, Barrackpore, Kolkata-120 *Corresponding author: ma_hassan@rediffmail.com References Das Sarkar, S., U.K. Sarkar, L. Lianthuamluaia, B.D. Ghosh, K. Roy, P. Mishal and B.K. Das. 2020. Pattern of the state of eutrophication in the floodplain wetlands of eastern India in context of climate change: a comparative evaluation of 27 wetlands. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 192(3):1-12. Hassan, M.A., P. Mishal, G. Karnatak and A.P. Sharma. 2017. Toward the blue revolution in India: prospects for inland open waters. World Aquaculture 48(1):25-28. Manna, R.K. and M.A. Hassan. 2004. Cage Culture of Fish. Bulletin No. 132, CIFRI, Barrackpore, India. Sarkar, U.K. and P. Mishal. 2017. Status, potentials and prospects of reservoir and wetland fisheries in India – an overview. Pages 171-185 in: Souvenir of National Seminar on Priorities in Fisheries and Aquaculture (Mohanty et al., Editors). ICAR-Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute, Barrackpore, India. Sugunan, V.V., G.K. Vinci, B.K. Bhattacharjya and M.A. Hassan. 2000. Ecology and Fisheries of Beels inWest Bengal. CIFRI, Barrackpore, India. Sugunan, V.V. and B.K. Bhattacharjya. 2000. Ecology and Fisheries of Beels in Assam. CIFRI, Barrackpore, India. DNA REGION LINKED TO DISEASE RESISTANCE IN TILAPIA A section of the genetic code significantly affects survival during a virus outbreak, leading to potential for breeding resistant fish. A specific region in the genome of Nile tilapia has a major effect on mortality levels during an outbreak of Tilapia Lake Virus (TiLV), a study led by the Roslin Institute andWorldFish has found. Fish with specific genetic variants in this region were substantially less likely to die in an outbreak of the virus than fish without these variants. Survival rates improved by approximately one-third, scientists observed. By selecting parent fish for breeding based on these variants, tilapia strains with innate resistance can be developed. This will reduce the number of outbreaks and mortality rate of TiLV, which is one of the biggest threats to tilapia aquaculture, with mortalities up to 90 per cent and for which vaccines are not yet available. Scientists analyzed the genome of almost 1,000 fish from a pond that had experienced an outbreak of Tilapia Lake Virus. Comparing the genomes of fish that survived the outbreak with fish that did not enabled scientists to find the region in the genome containing variants associated with survival. The average survival rate of tilapia with the favorable variants was 32 per cent higher than that of fish with none of the variants, scientists found. The study, published in the journal Heredity (127:334-343), was funded by the CGIAR Research Program on Fish Agri- Food Systems (FISH) and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, part of UK Research and Innovation.