CMFRI’s novel venture yields bumper harvest of green mussels

An experimental farming on a professional scale has proved that the innovative farming technological innovation — Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) practice — is prosperous and very well appropriate to Kerala’s ecosystem.

A bumper harvest of eco-friendly mussel was recorded in the integrated farming combined with cage fish and seaweed farming undertaken by the Central Marine Fisheries Investigate Institute underneath participatory method with fish farmers in Moothakunnam in Ernakulam district.

The IMTA combines ideal proportions of fish, seaweeds and filter feeding bivalves in farming to make balanced systems for environmental and economic balance. CMFRI started the enterprise in December last 12 months as component of its investigation initiative for developing a sustainable cage fish farming product appropriate for Kerala’s ecosystem.

Better produce

The first harvest among the the a few crops of the integrated farming, yielded about one tonne of eco-friendly mussel from one hundred fifty strings hung about as a lot of as four fish cages. Person mussels grew to the sizing of seventy two g which is a prosperous growth amount in mussel farming. Even as the harvest was taking location through the Covid lockdown, the overall create offered out in no time as there was a large demand from customers for eco-friendly mussels.

A good harvest with superior growth amount of eco-friendly mussel showed that IMTA practice is economically possible and very well appropriate to Kerala’s condition. A scientific workforce led by Shoji Joseph, Principal Scientist of CMFRI, also noticed that the fishes within the cage attained superior growth and seaweed getting cultured about the cage showed healthy status with speedy growth amount. Fish will be harvested by the stop of the future thirty day period.

CMFRI Director A Gopalakrishnan explained the institute would acquire methods to popularise the IMTA practice across the coastal States as in the circumstance of cage fish farming. CMFRI has efficiently created a product of IMTA practice on open up sea waters of Tamil Nadu which helps coastal people fetch enhanced earnings.