New Letter MPEDA March 2012accolades in seafood shows around the world. He was very much appreciative about the range of seafood products exhibited and the response in India Pavilion

MPEDA Newsletter • March 2012 |

M P E D ANEWSLETTER

Editorial Board

Marketing News

MPEDA Participates in International Boston Seafood Show (IBSS),Boston, USA .............................................................................................................. 3

Boost for Indo-Japan Food Diplomacy ................................................................ 6

Shrimp Market: March 2012 ................................................................................. 7

Quality Front

The Indian approach on seafood HACCP compliancepresented in Japan ................................................................................................... 10

Aquaculture Scene

Training Programme on "Eco-friendly & SustainableShrimp Farming" for SC/ST beneficiaries organized at Bermajur,Sandeshkhali-II Block, Dist: North 24 Paragnas, West Bengal ....................... 12

MPEDA RC (Aq) Kochi organized training programmes for SC/STbeneficiaries .............................................................................................................. 13

MPEDA RC(Aq), Panvel organized Training Programmefor SC/ST beneficiaries at Zanjiroli village, Palghar Taluka,Thane District .......................................................................................................... 15

News Spectrum ...............................................................................................17

Contents

Vol. XXI No. 3 March 2012

Shri N RameshDirector (M)Shri P MohanasundaramDirectorShri B SreekumarSecretarySmt. K M VeenaJt. Director (Dev.)Shri Thampi Sam RajJoint Director (Trng)Shri K N Vimal KumarJoint Director (QC)Dr. Al. MuthuramanDeputy Director (Soc)

EditorDr. Ram Mohan M KDeputy Director (P&MP)[email protected]. in

Assistant EditorShri S Bhaskaran [email protected]

Printed and Published by:Shri B SreekumarSecretary,MPEDA, Kochi - 36Printed at Amarakerala Industries,Kochi -18

The Marine Products ExportDevelopment Authority(Ministry of Commerce &.Industry, Govt. of India)MPEDA House, Panampilly Avenue,Kochi - 682 036.Telephone : 91-484-2311979Fax: 91-484-2313361E-mail: [email protected]: http://www.mpeda.com

Cover page : Shrimp Noodles (Meal Kit)by M/s. Choice Trading Corporation, Kochi

The views expressed in the scholarly articles of this publication arethose of the authors and do not constitute the views of MPEDA.

Friends,

As this issue comes to you, MPEDA along with SEAI anda sizeable number of co-exhibitors will be at the largest seafoodexhibition on the globe, the European Seafood Exposition.Despite the emergence of Asian markets as a reckoning forcefor sourcing seafood from India, the European Union still leadsas a major destination for our products. This has given theIndian seafood a great deal of value in the international market.This is so because of the impression we have made as a countrywhose exports meet the EU standards.

We all know that the preferences of EU customers are clear in terms of quality andvariety. It is not a market that accepts everything; one has to prove the quality, time andagain.

Of late, there is a marked shift of customer preferences, towards products that aresourced from sustainable or certified resources. Market reports reveal that an internationalfishery certifying agency got its revenue from logo licensing increased as many as 65 timesin the last 7 years. This shows the growing awareness of customers towards such issues,and EU is no exception. The introduction of catch certification by EU in 2010 is regardedas a primary step to a larger goal set for conservation and judicial exploitation of fisheryproducts that are sourced for supply to EU.

India strictly follows a conservative approach in fishery exploitation, as our craftsand methodology are largely traditional. The registration and licensing of fishing vessels,registration of farms and processing entities are all efforts to ensure the traceability of theresource and to provide inputs at the right stage of production chain to supply qualityseafood ensuring sustainability. MPEDA also make a lot of promotional measures thatare aimed to preserve our motto “Export with sustainability”. I would like to point outthat the coming years will see severe trade pressure centered around the sustainability tag.

Good luck!

Sd/-April 2012 (LEENA NAIR IAS)

Chairman



International Boston SeafoodShow (IBSS) is the largest seafoodshow event in the North America,which is one among the largest seafoodmarkets. This year the show was heldfrom 11 – 13 March, 2012. MPEDAhad been participating in the IBSSsince its inception and expanding its

MPEDA Participates inINTERNATIONAL BOSTON SEAFOOD SHOW (IBSS),Boston, USA

in 2010-11 compared to previous year.During this year (2011-12) also, therehas been 100% increase in exports toUSA mainly attributing to Shrimp,particularly L. vannamei.

A dinner was arranged on the firstday of the event in Taj Boston for theleading importers of Indian seafoods.

exhibitors namely, M/s. SuryamitraExim Pvt. Ltd., M/s. Gadre MarineExports Pvt. Ltd., M/s. Shree DattAquaculture Farms Pvt. Ltd., M/s.Seven Seas Seafoods Pvt. Ltd., M/s.Dish Hospitality and M/s. West CoastFrozen Foods Pvt. Ltd., in the IndiaPavilion each having 100 sq.ft. space.

space and scope over the years.MPEDA has taken 1000 sq.ft. space,almost double the space compared toprevious year. There were six co

North America as a whole andUSA in particular had been a potentialmarket for Indian seafoods. Exportof shrimps to USA is almost doubled

The dinner was well attended by theleading importers of Indian seafoods.On MPEDA’s request, Mr. PrabhuDayal, His Excellency, Consul General,

MARKETING NEWS

Shri Prabhu Dayal, His Excellency, Consul General, New York (4th from left) along with winner of “Best New Foods Service” award,M/s. Dish Hospitality, accompanied by Ms. Leena Nair IAS, Chairman, MPEDA, Shri Sugandh Rajaram, Consul, CG, New York andMs. Monika A Batra, Resident Director, MPEDA, TPO, New York (extreme right)


New York had graced the dinner.Several fruitful discussions with theimporters were held. His Excellency,Consul General, New York visitedIndia pavilion and appreciated theparticipation of MPEDA along withthe leading exporters in the IBSSwhich is an ideal platform forshowcasing the strength and range ofIndian seafood products.

M/s. Dish Hospitality won the“Best New Food Service” award fortheir product “Oriental Shrimp Nest”.It is pertinent to mention that duringthe previous show also, M/s. DishHospitality had won the Best NewFood Service award. His Excellency,Counsul General, New York speciallyappreciated the innovativeness of theIndian seafood products which hadbeen winning awards and theaccolades in seafood shows aroundthe world. He was very muchappreciative about the range ofseafood products exhibited and theresponse in India Pavilion by thebuyers in American market.

MPEDA had displayed almost allthe products produced by the Indianseafood exporters. Special emphasiswas given to promote value addedseafood products, particularly theready-to-eat and ready-to-cook

MARKETING NEWS

products which were prominentlydisplayed. MPEDA stall had cookingdemonstration, which was wellreceived and there were many visitorslining up for tasting the Indianseafood samples served in the stall.Cooking demonstration was there forall the 3 days.

There was renewed interest insourcing shrimp and cephalopodsfrom India. The co-exhibitors wereable to reestablish their relations withthe existing buyers and had been ableto enter into several new orders fromthe largest seafood buyers in USA.There were lot of enquiries onShrimp, Squid, Cuttlefish, Surimi andwhole fishes, which are tabulated inthe ‘Trade Enquiry’ segment of thisNewsletter.

Ms. Leena Nair IAS, Chairman,Mr. N Ramesh, Director (Marketing),Mrs. Monika A Batra, ResidentDirector, TPO, New York and Dr. PG Sreenath, Assistant Director, RO,Mumbai represented MPEDA in theIBSS 2012.

Meeting with Mr. Neil Theiss, VP, Sysco

Meeting with US FDA officials


Glimpses into IBSS 2012

MARKETING NEWS


Boost for Indo-Japan Food Diplomacy

MARKETING NEWS

An increasing shift to Japanesefoods and dietary patterns could helpaddress a wide range of health issues.This was the focus of a recent seminaron Japanese food products held in thecity. The seminar, which also featureda business networking meet for Indianand Japanese businesses in the foodsector, was aimed at boosting trade infood products between the twocountries.

Organised by the Japan ExternalTrade Organisation (JETRO) just daysafter the prestigious India InternationalSeafood Show, the seminarunderscored the potential for increasedIndo-Japan food trade against thebackdrop of the 60th year celebrationsof the establishment of diplomaticrelations between the two Asianmajors.

“Japanese presence in India is onthe rise. This is especially true of TamilNadu. Of the 812 Japanese companiesin India, a majority are in this State.JETRO has opened an office inChennai especially to address the vastnumber of queries from the

region,”noted JETRO DirectorGeneral Shinya Fujii.

Ms. Leena Nair, Chairman, TheMarine Products Export DevelopmentAuthority (MPEDA), Government ofIndia expressed her condolences tothose who had lost their lives in thegreat East Japan Earthquake andresultant tsunami and noted that Indiawas looking forward to increased tradewith Japan’s seafood industry, which

had largely taken a massive hit.Takayuki Kitagawa, Acting

Consul-General of the JapaneseConsulate in Chennai reflectedMs. Nair’s views. He outlined thehistory of the global Japanese foodboom. “Fact is, the Japanese foodboom did not come out of Japan. Itcame out of the US around 30 yearsback. Japanese foods and dietarypractices were healthy as it is, butespecially against American food habitsthen. The US government was givenstudies that suggested a shift to Japanesefoods,” he noted.

“That helped the US cut itsbudgetary deficit as it helped slashhealth problems and in turn cutting thenational health bill. I suggest this canbe taken up here as well, to help TamilNadu slash its budgetary deficit.Indian foods are healthy overall, butthey are oily. Japanese foods canaddress that,” he said.

The seminar also featured threestalls – two vegetarian and one sushi –for the Indian businessmen to sampleJapanese food products.


2010. For imported supplies, the LunarNew Year celebration in East Asia willdivert large supplies of fresh shrimpto the domestic and regional marketsin China, Hong Kong SAR, TaiwanProvince of China, Singapore, VietNam and Malaysia. Therefore, suppliesfrom these sources will be very limitedfor frozen exports till the next harvest,which is due in April/May.

Imports

Despite economic concerns, USshrimp imports went up comparedwith 2010, and they exceeded 2006´simports, which were the highest in thepast five years, by 0.5%.

Thailand remains the mainexporter to the US market but withlower supplies than in 2009 and 2010,followed by Ecuador and Indonesia. InLatin American, Ecuador remains thesecond main provider to the US marketwith a 9% increase whereas importsfrom Indonesia rose by 15%. Supplyfrom India rose by more than 83% withpredominantly large sized vannamei.

B) ASIA

In 2012 the market began withpositive notes in demand and pricetrends in various markets, while thecurrent low season for farmed shrimpwill persist until the next season starsin April/May.

According to industry sources, theworld’s production of aquaculturedshrimp was estimated to be 2.3 milliontonnes last year, only fractionally morethan in 2010. Farmed productionduring January to November 2011 inThailand declined by 6% to 600 000tonnes compared with 2010. Harvestsfrom the southern provinces reached330 000 tonnes, from the Andamancoast 90 000 tonnes and from theeastern region 150 000-180 000 tonnes.The production decline was mainlyattributed to heavy floods in late 2010and early 2011 in the southern regionand heavy rains and cool weather inthe central and eastern regions in thesecond half of the year. Quantitativeexports during this period fell by 8%to 361 460 tonnes but value increasedby 10% to THB 101 billion.

In Viet Nam, over 81 000hectares of black tiger shrimp farmingwere lost as a result of disease last yearbut vannamei shrimp productionoffset that loss with its production of118 100 tonnes up to November 2011.The export value of shrimp during thisperiod registered a 14% rise reachingnearly USD 2.17 billion compared withthe same period in 2010, reported VietNam Seafood News.

Indian production increasedsignificantly following the introductionof vannamei shrimp. Production ofthis species is likely to be more than50 000 tonnes. Full reports are yet tocome from the producing countries.

Japan

The post New Year demand isseasonally low in Japan and demand

Thailand 130.7 132.6 126.7 130.5 137.3 130.4Indonesia 46.0 44.3 66.6 55.6 46.6 53.8Ecuador 45.5 46.5 44.7 47.1 51.3 56.0China 45.5 34.5 37.0 30.0 32.5 29.7Vietnam 25.4 27.7 29.7 29.8 30.1 32.1Mexico 10.7 17.0 12.6 21.2 12.4 14.7India 20.7 15.8 10.9 15.2 18.3 32.2Malaysia 11.9 13.0 18.6 12.2 17.6 18.6Bangladesh 14.2 12.3 10.9 8.3 6.4 3.5Guyana 6.9 8.0 7.7 7.7 7.1 5.2Peru 4.2 5.4 6.0 6.9 5.4 6.9Honduras 4.9 5.0 3.5 4.5 6.2 6.8Others 36.9 30.9 22.8 20.2 17.6 15.7Total 403.3 393.2 397.7 389.0 388.8 405.6Source: NMFS

Shrimp Imports: USA

(1000 tonnes)

......................................... Jan-Sep.............................................2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

A) U S A

In general, US retailers seem tobe reasonably satisfied with overallholiday sales in 2011. Many consumersopted for home cooking rather thaneating at restaurants including theChristmas and New Year celebrations.

The year-end rally in the US stockmarket could indicate an improvementin consumer confidence, which wouldbe good for shrimp consumption.

The import market is fairly quietin January with only sporadic ordersbecause of the inventory build-up inthe market. However, market prices arenot impacted; reduced availability ofraw materials at origins, revivingimport interests from Western Europeand good demand in East Asia arekeeping prices stable in internationaltrade.

The accumulated domesticlandings to September totaled 89 757tonnes, an increase of 53.5% incomparison with the same period of

MARKETING NEWS

SHRIMP MARKET: MARCH 2012


from the retail and catering trademoved from large to medium sizedshrimp.

Low-key celebrations during theyear-end/New Year were reportedthroughout Japan, which maderestaurant trade slow. However, salesat supermarkets were better with moresales of raw vannamei shrimp andprocessed shrimp products. Post-NewYear import inquiries are very few fromJapanese buyers, with the next threemonths being the low harvestingperiod throughout Asia. Meanwhile,lower seasonal harvests and goodLunar New Year demand in other EastAsian markets are keeping shrimpprices firm.

Japanese marJapanese marJapanese marJapanese marJapanese markkkkket imporet imporet imporet imporet importttttedededededmore vmore vmore vmore vmore value-added and lessalue-added and lessalue-added and lessalue-added and lessalue-added and lessrararararaw shrimp in 20w shrimp in 20w shrimp in 20w shrimp in 20w shrimp in 201111111111

Since the earthquake and thesubsequent radiation problems, shrimpimports have been characterised byincreased supplies of prepared andvalue-added products. The fallinghousehold demand for raw shell-onshrimp caused a slight decline incumulative imports during January-September 2011 compared with theprevious year. The market alsoimported more dried shrimp in 2011.Supplies of all types of value-addedshrimp have come largely from

Thailand, except sushi shrimp withrice, most of which came from China.

Raw shrimp imports on thecontrary, were at a five-year low duringJanuary-September 2011 from majorsources. Although the preference forshell-on vannamei from Thailand is stillgood, flood-related supply shortageand a shift to value-added processingresulted in lower supplies of rawshrimp from Thailand.

C) European Union

The 2011 global shrimp marketperformed better than expected.

Despite the skepticism and concernover the economic situation the EUmarket seemed to have imported moreshrimp than the year before.

In early January, European buyersstarted sourcing new supplies as stockswere diminished by festive season sales.In the last quarter of 2011, Europeanbuyers were not very active and reliedon inventories as shrimp prices werehigh and demand strong in other majormarkets. However, buyers, particularlyfrom Belgium, the Netherlands and theUK, are currently active in the markets.European importers are buying both

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Tel : 2311979, 2321722, Fax : 91-484-2312812. E-mail : [email protected] / [email protected]

MARKETING NEWSWhite Shrimp in Japanese market,origin Indonesia

30

25

20

15

10

5Jan-03 Jan-04 Jan-05 Jan-06 Jan-07 Jan-08 Jan-09 Jan-10 Jan-11 Jan-12

Source : Infofish ITN

USD/kg

16/20

31/40


black tiger and vannamei shrimp anddemand is expected to increase in thenext few months.

As consumers are still cautiousabout spending, the pattern of shrimpconsumption has changed somewhatwith more people buying shrimp fromsupermarkets for home preparationrather than eating in restaurants. Thus,overall the shrimp market saw positivegrowth as reflected by increasingimports into the EU major markets in2011, apart from France.

Shrimp imports into Franceduring January- September 2011declined by 4.5% in quantity againstthe corresponding period of 2010,amounting to around 78,000 tonnes.Imports from several suppliersdropped, except from Ecuador, thelargest supplier of shrimp to France,which managed to increase its exports

by 8.4%, Bangladesh (+26%) andBelgium (+27%) during the reportingperiod. Meanwhile imports from Spain,Colombia and Thailand were lower by36%, almost 50% and 7% respectivelyin volume. Supply from Brazil wasreduced to almost nothing thanks alsoto strong domestic demand.

Viet Nam emerged as the largestsupplier of shrimp to the Germanmarket last year. Overtaking Thailandas the number one exporter, Viet Namshipped around 8,000 tonnes ofshrimp to the German market duringthe third quarter of 2011, significantlyup by 19.4% compared with the sameperiod of 2010, while imports fromThailand dropped by 25.3%. Totalshrimp imports into Germany up toSeptember 2011 were more or less onpar with the previous year’s level ataround 43,500 tonnes.

Shrimp imports into Spain alsoposted strong growth last year, totaling118,900 tonnes for the first ninemonths, up by almost 9% over the sameperiod of 2010. Argentina and Ecuador,the first and second largest shrimpsuppliers to Spain, benefited from thegrowing market by supplying 14% and52% more shrimp respectively last year.Imports from China, the third largestsupplier, also increased slightly by 4.6%,while imports from Thailand were17.5% lower in volume.

A marginal increase in shrimpimports was also reported by Italyamounting to 54,400 tonnes for thereporting period, up by 6.9% year onyear. Imports from Ecuador, India,Spain and Viet Nam increased by11.3%, 15.9%, 20.5% and 31.6%respectively in quantity while supplyfrom Argentina dropped by 10.5%

Source : FAOGlobefish

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3 Chart on Commercial Fishes of India 75.004 MPEDA Act, Rules & Regulations 25.005 Statistics of Marine Products 2008 350.006 Seafood Delicacies from India 100.007 Indian Fishery Hand Book 250.008 Product Catalogue 150.009 Handbook on Ornamental Fish Diseases 50.0010 Water Quality in the Ornamental Aquatic Industry - Serial 1 125.0011 International Transport of Live Fish in the Ornamental Aquatic industry Serial - 2 125.0012. Live Food Culture for the Ornamental Aquatic Industry - Serial 3 125.0013 Biosecurity in the Ornamental Aquatic Industry - Serial 4 125.0014 Ornamental Fish Breeders / Traders Directory 25.0015 Directory of Exporters of Marine Products 75.0016 Directory of Exporters of Marine Products CD 30.00

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MARKETING NEWS


QUALITY FRONT

Shri K Sasidharan Nair, AssistantDirector (QC) of MPEDA was invitedby the Fishing Boat and SystemEngineering Association under theJapanese Ministry of Agriculture,Forestry and Fisheries to present apaper on implementation of HACCPin Indian seafood industry withparticular reference to the qualitycontrol measures being adopted byseafood processing establishments forexport of fish and fishery products tothe European Union. Shri Nair haspresented the paper on 14th February2012 in the seminar organized inconjunction with the ‘9th AnnualJapanese International Seafood andTechnology Expo’ held at Osakatogether with the ‘Agri Expo’, thatshowcased regional speciality foods.

In his presentation, Shri Nairhighlighted the implementation of

The Indian approach on seafood HACCP compliancepresented in Japan

HACCP system, which is a mandatoryrequirement in India for all seafood

establishments engaged in exportprocessing. A HACCP complianceaudit of the establishment is essentialprior to its approval by the Indianregulatory authorities. India is oneamong the countries that has a largenumber of seafood processingestablishments (238 Nos -as on date)approved for exports to EU. Hehighlighted the system of suchapproval prevailing in the country.Shri Nair has also pointed out thesignificance of training programmes inHACCP implementation andelaborated on such programmes beingorganized by MPEDA for the benefitof seafood processing technologists inIndia towards capacity building inHACCP implementation andcompliance.

India is one among the majorsuppliers of shrimp to Japan and

Shri K Premachandran, Resident Director, TPO, Tokyo & Shri K Sasidharan Nair, Asst.Director (QC), MPEDA (2nd & 3rd from left) with the delegates of Fishing Boat and SystemEngineering Association, Japan

A view of Osaka Seafood Market


QUALITY FRONT

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MPEDA has already introduced a Quality Logo that isgranted to prime quality Indian seafood in the JapaneseMarket. Citing this, Shri Nair stressed the long term goalsof the organization to raise the image of Indian seafoodproducts in the sophisticated International markets throughco-branding with major labels. This would facilitate Indiato shift from bulk sales to consumer products. Thepresentation also emphasized India’s desire to collaboratewith Japan in the processing of value-added shrimp productsas preferred by the Japanese consumers, utilizing theabundant resources of prime quality Indian black tiger andvannamei shrimps.

During his stay at Osaka, Shri Sasidharan Nair alsovisited the Osaka Seafood Market, where a wide range oflive, fresh/chilled and processed frozen seafood productsare traded.

A display of Sashimi Tuna at Osaka Seafood Market

Shri K S Nair attending to Q-A session after the presentation


AQUACULTURE SCENETraining Programme on "Eco-friendly & SustainableShrimp Farming" for SC/ST beneficiaries organizedat Bermajur, Sandeshkhali-II Block, Dist: North 24Paragnas, West Bengal

The 5-days Training Programmeon "Eco-Friendly & SustainableShrimp Farming" for SC/STbeneficieries was conducted from 19th– 23rd March 2012 at Bermajur, North24 Paragnas dist. In West Bengal. 20farmers belonging to SC/STcommunity in Bermajur, North 24Paragnas dist. attended theprogramme.

The inaugural session was held on19th March 2012. MPEDA officialsbriefed the farmers about the scopeand status of shrimp farming in WestBengal. It was happy to note that allthe participating farmers had obtainedCAA licences. MPEDA officialsexplained various financial assistanceschemes of MPEDA to the farmers.

Shri Krishnapada Sardar, leadingfarmer of Bermajur thanked MPEDAto take up the training programme forthe SC/ST beneficieries in their areaand requested all the trainees to utilizethe training in practical life. He alsobrought to notice that as day by daythe lease value of land is on the rise,taking up scientific shrimp farmingwould boost the profit margin of poorSC/ST beneficieries of their area.

Inaugural session was followed bytechnical session. MPEDA officialshave taken classes on probiotics &probiotics utilization during pondpreparation, site selection, design &layout of shrimp farms and ETS forscientific shrimp farming, screening ofseed by applying PCR, stress test, etc.and acclimatization in pond condition,

Trainees during field visit

A view of the trainees attending the Training Programme

soil & water quality management,biosecurity measures & its significancein shrimp farming, grow-outmanagement for shrimp farms andBMPs in scientific shrimp culture.

On the third day trainees weretaken to Field visit to Shimulia,Hasnabad, North 24 Paragnas Dist.The trainees were exposed to differentkind of farm activities involved in


Session in progress.

shrimp culture. The farmers wereexplained on the methods ofbiosecurity, feeding methods, idealpond construction methods, pondpreparation and various aspects ofscientific shrimp farming. The traineesalso interacted with Sri Nimai Das,member, Shimulia shrimp farmerswelfare society.

On the fourth day classes weretaken by Sri Santi Kumar Naskar, ADFcum CEO, Meen Bhawan, Barasat, SriJagadish Mondal, AFO (BW), MeenBhawan, Barasat, Sri Atanu Roy, StateCordinator, NETFISH and SmtSubhalaxmi Das Banerjii, ProgrammeManager, Ornamental Fish division,MPEDA. Farmers have shown interestto learn about ornamental fish cultureto make it as a cottage industry.

On the last day, Sri ArchimanLahiri, Field Supervisor, MPEDA, SriD K Biswas, Deputy Director, MPEDAand Shri Joy Sengupta, Field Manager,NaCSA, took classes on the role of

NaCSA for sustainable development ofshrimp culture, diversification inaquaculture, feed & feeding habits,disease diagnosis & remedies and otherrelated subjects. A group discussion wasarranged where the farmers couldinteract with the officials and discussvarious problems faced by them. A

valedictory function was arranged in theafternoon. Sri D K Biswas, DeputyDirector (AQ), MPEDA distributedcertificates to the trainees. The vote ofthanks was proposed by Shri SibasishMohanty, JTO, MPEDA. Farmersthanked MPEDA for organizing thetraining programme in their region.

MPEDA RC (Aq) Kochi organized trainingprogrammes for SC/ST beneficiaries

MPEDA RC(Aqua), Kochiorganized two training programmesexclusively for the benefit of SC/STbeneficiaries during the month ofFebruary & March 2012, one inThakazhi, Alappuzha Dist., and theother in Valappu-Malippuram,Ernakulam Dist.

The first training programme washeld at Gramma panchayat hall,Thakazhi, Alappuzha district where in15 SC/ST beneficiaries sponsored byThakazhi Gramma Panchayat wereimparted training on Eco-friendly andsustainable scampi farming. Thetraining programme was inauguratedon 30th January and concluded on 3rdFebruary 2012. During the trainingprogramme the beneficiaries were Training at Thakazhi (view of participants)

AQUACULUTRE SCENE


AQUACULUTRE SCENEimparted training on various technicalaspects of scampi farming includingsite selection, construction of ponds,pond preparation for stocking, nurseryand grow out management, water andfeed management, harvesting andmarketing, diversification inaquaculture, organic aquaculture andimportance of group farming. As partof the training programme, the traineeswere taken to open water seabassdemonstration project site atThanneermukkam where in, they wereinformed on technical aspects onseabass farming and witnessed theharvest of the seabass from cages. Thebeneficiaries were also taken to ascampi farm of Shri Thomas Mathewin Karuvatta, Alappuzha District foron hand field experience. During thetraining programme, the lecture classeswere taken by officers of MPEDARegional Centre, Kochi as well asADAK and Dep. of Fisheries, Govt.of Kerala. The valedictory function ofthe training programme was held on3rd February, in which the beneficiarieswere distributed certificates andstipend by Dr. A S Upadhyay, JointDirector (Aqua), MPEDA, RC, Kochi.

The second training programmewas held at Ajantha Marananthara hall,Valappu- Malippuram, Ernakulamdistrict where in 20 SC/ST

Training at Thakazhi (Distribution of certificates)

beneficiaries sponsored by KeralaPulayar Maha Sabha were impartedtraining on Eco-friendly andsustainable shrimp farming. Thetraining programme was inauguratedon 19th March and concluded on 23rdMarch 2012. During the trainingprogramme the beneficiaries wereimparted training on various technicalaspects of shrimp farming includingsite selection, construction of ponds,pond preparation for stocking andgrow out management, water and feedmanagement during culture, harvestingand marketing, diversification inaquaculture, organic aquaculture andimportance of group farming. As partof the training programme the trainees

Training at Valappu (Field visit)

were taken to the farm ofShri A M Nizar at KovilakathumKadavu,Pallippuram Village. Wherethey witnessed the cage farming of pearlspot and poly culture of shrimp withmullets.The beneficiaries were alsotaken to a Crab fattening farm ofShri.Shaju, in Pallippuram, ErnakulamDistrict. During the training programmethe lecture classes were taken by officersfrom MPEDA RC, Kochi as well asfrom ADAK and Dep. of Fisheries,Kerala. The valedictory function of thetraining programme were held on 23rdMarch, wherein the beneficiaries weredistributed certificates and stipends byDr. A S Upadhyay, Joint Director(Aqua), MPEDA RC, Kochi.

Trainers & Trainees at Valappu


AQUACULUTRE SCENE

MPEDA RC(Aq), Panvel organized TrainingProgramme for SC/ST beneficiaries at Zanjirolivillage, Palghar Taluka, Thane District

The existing reservoir in Zanjrolivillage with an area of about 105 Ha,has been taken on lease byM/s. Janseva Jalsinchan AdivasiSahakari Sanstha Limited, Zanjiroli forscampi culture in reservoir. For thebenefit of the members of this societyand other members of SC/STcommunity in the nearby area,MPEDA, Regional Centre (Aqua),Panvel organized training programmeon Eco-friendly and sustainable scampifarming and aquaculture diversificationfrom 17.03.2012 to 21.03.2012 atZanjroli village itself.

The training programme wasinaugurated on 17-3-2012 by ShriNandkumar Patil, Assistant FisheriesDevelopment Officer, Palghar, Thanedistrict. He advised trainees to use theopportunity for getting scientificknowledge on scampi farming forimproving their economic status.

Earlier Shri Maruti D Yaligar,Deputy Director, MPEDA welcomed

Inaugural function

participants and introduced them toscampi farming. He narrated role ofMPEDA and its different promotionalschemes. He explained thatdiversification in aquaculture is veryessential for sustainability. Shri JaywantRathod, leading farmer encouraged

trainees and asked them to comeforward with positive approach.Shri Purushotham Donde, Chairman,M/s. Janseva Jalsinchan AdivasiSahakari Sanstha Limited, Zanjroli alsofelicitated.

Classes on Biology of freshwaterprawn, hatchery production of seeds,selection of good quality seed,transportation, acclimatisation andstocking of seed were taken by Mr. RejiMathew, Assistant Director (AQ).

On 18.03.2012, a field trip wasarranged for the trainees. Traineeswere taken to farms in Makusar andKelwe villages where they observedpractical aspects. On 19.03.2012lecture classes on pond construction,pond preparation, water qualitymanagement, feed management forscampi farming and avoiduse of antibiotics were taken byShri S M Shirodkar, Jr. Tech. Officer.

A view of the session


AQUACULUTRE SCENEOn 20.03.2012, the classes of

Growth monitoring of scampi anddiseases of scampi were taken byShri K Reji Mathew, Assistant Director(AQ). Shri S M Shirodkar, Jr. Tech.Officer took classes on Goodmanagement practices for scampifarming and economics for scampifarming project.

During the valedictory functionheld in the afternoon of 21.03.2012Smt Asha Ramesh Chipat, Sarpanch,Maykhop Zanjroli Gram Panchayatwas the chief guest. Mr Reji Mathew,Assistant Director (AQ) welcomed theguest and participants. Smt. AshaChipat addressed the gathering andsaid that as these beneficiaries aresincere they can be very successful inaquaculture field. Shri N S Patil,AFDO, Dept. of Fisheries, Palgharalso attended the function. Ku. ChitraBhavan and Shri Santosh Govari alsospoke on behalf of trainees andappreciated MPEDA for conductingtraining programme effectively andsuccessfully in their village. Thestipend and certificates were dispersedto trainees by the guests.

The programme was concludedwith vote of thanks byShri S M Shirodkar, Jr. Tech. Officer.

Trainees during field visit

Shri K Raji Mathew, Asst. Director (Aq) imparting one session

Distribution of certificartes to the trainees A view of the trainees


NEWS SPECTRUM

Pop-up X-tag was used onyellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares)for the first time in Indian waters bythe Central Marine Fisheries ResearchInstitute during December 2011 toFebruary 2012. A total of 15 tagswere used in two phases along the Bayof Bengal and the Arabian Sea withthe Pop-up time ranging from 4months to a year. Tagging was donein the Bay of Bengal Region fromVisakhapatnam where eight tags wereused and along the Arabian Sea seventags were used off LakshadweepIslands. The tagging programme isfunded by INCOIS under the projectentitled "Satallite Telemetry studies onMigration patterns of Tunas in IndianSeas" (SATTUNA). With thisachievement India joins the elitegroup of countries engaged in satellitetracking of yellowfin tuna. Earlierreports on Pop-up tagging ofyellowfin tuna are only from the Gulfof Mexico using Pop-up satellitearchival tags during 2009.

Migratory movements ofyellowfin tuna in oceanic waters nearand away from Indian waters remainuntested and exchange rates are stillunidentified. Tagging studies havebeen carried out to study the growthand migration of marine fishes.

India joins top successful countries involved inPop-up Satellite Tagging of Yellowfin Tuna.

However, conventional archival tagsused have a number of disadvantageswith very poor recovery rates andlimited data on habitat andenvironment. The "Pop-up" tags havebeen developed to avoid suchproblems and also to increase theprobability of data recovery. Thesetags are attached externally and have arelease mechanism that causes the tagato detach from the fish at apredetermined time and "pop-up" tothe sea surface where the data can berecovered via the ARGOS systemaboard polar-orbiting NOAA satellites.The first-generation Pop-up tagsprovided only limited data; more ofmigratory data and less environmentaldata. These tags, therefore, providefisheries-independent measure of thestraight-line distance travelled from thepoint of tagging. More recently Pop-up tags have become available and itspositions as determined byh ARGOSwhich enables temperature, depth andambient daylight that can be reduced(e.g. as time-at-depth and time-at-temperature histograms and profile-depth temperature data) on board thetag before data transmission.

Tuna, mainly the bluefin tunas,have been tracked using the Pop-uptags in the Atlantic Mediterranean and

Australian waters. The large size andweight of the original tags and thehigh cost of the tags were the majorlimiting factor for tagging smallermigrating fishes. With thedevelopment of the x-tags, smallerbluefin tuna, marlin and yellowfintuna too can be tagged. The highcost of tags (PSAT) still makes largescale tagging of fishes with satellitetags a challenging proposition.

A good scope of fishery for theyellowfin tuna is existing in the Indianwaters. To manage the stock and tofish the stocks at a sustainable level,information regarding its migratorypatterns, movement for feeding,breeding, its diving characterestics,reasons for the fish to remain withina depth zone and to know whetherthe tuna available in our watersbelongs to the same stock ormigrating from neighbouringcountries are essential, but hardlyknown. It is in this context thatCMFRI took up the challenging taskof tracking yellowfin tuna with pop-up tags. The pioneering work carriedout by the Institute has placed thecountry on par with few othercountries of the world that have beensuccessful in using the pop-up tagsto track marine fishes.

Farmed shrimp demand rises in overseas marketsIndian aquaculture farms are

upbeat about the rising prospects offarmed shrimps in the overseas market.Both the black tiger and vannameivarieties from India have been goingat a premium in the foreign market,particularly in Southeast Asia.

A shortage of shrimps in

countries like Thailand, Vietnam, Japanand China has raised the demand ofIndian varieties.

The domestic farms have gone onan overdrive to increase theproduction. "The production could seea jump of 30-40% if the seeds areavailable. We are experiencing a slight

shortage of seeds because of thesudden rise in demand,'' said SuryaRao, an aquaculture farmer in AndhraPradesh.

According to him, around 70%of the production is vannameishrimps. Medium-size vannamiefetches Rs 220 to 230 per kg for a


World Bank okays $50 m credit for Assam farm project

NEWS SPECTRUMfarmer against a cost of Rs 150 to160 per kg. Higher demand hasresulted in the mushrooming ofseveral new far ms in AndhraPradesh, where the majority ofshrimp farms are located.

The total production of farmedshrimp in the country is expected totouch 1.40 lakh tonne this fiscal year,a senior official of the Marine Products

A team of scientists from Japanarrived here to study the migratorybehaviour of the threatened Irrawaddydolphins in Chilika lagoon. One of theless-studied cetacean species,Irrawaddy dolphins’ droppingnumbers in the brackish water lagoonhad prompted Chilika DevelopmentAuthority to set up a permanent stationproject at the lake’s mouth to studytheir pattern of migration.

In January this year, the annualcensus had put the dolphin populationat 145 which was a 10 per cent dropcompared to last year. What wasintriguing was the significant drop inmortality (just one death was reported)of the species leading to the belief that

Chilika: Japan team to study Irrawaddy dolphinsthe cetaceans might be migrating to Bayof Bengal and vice versa although it hasnot been established yet. "Thepermanent monitoring station projectat the lagoon’s mouth is aimed atcollecting data to strengthen thepopulation assessment of Irrawaddydolphins through visual and acousticobservation. A major component willbe monitoring possible migration andhabitat use of the mammals," CDAChief Executive Dr. Ajit Kumar Patnaiksaid. The stationary observatory aroundmouth of the lagoon is expected toestablish the migration model forunderstanding the population dynamics.

The CDA is already in anagreement with Tokyo University for

acoustic technology study ofunderwater behaviour of the dolphinssince 2006 and it has now proposed togo for advanced observations todevelop a strategy for conservation ofdolphins. The systems have been usedfor the Ganges river dolphin’sobservation in the past.

The CDA plans to study the newmouth, near Rambhartia formonitoring possible migration. Thatapart, it will also carry out assessmentat Outer channel (Mahisa Ostapalli) forarriving at a safe dolphin watchingprotocol, evolving a carrying capacityof mechanised boats as well as habitat-use.

-ENS

Export Development Authority(MPEDA) said.

Since the sea catch has shown adecline this year, there is moredependence on farmed shrimp. Thereare a lot of unregistered farmsoperating to cash in on the demand.

Most of the farms are at theharvesting stage. The internationalmarket is rather subdued now, which

has pushed down the prices. Indianvannamei was fetching $5.50 to $7.25a kg in the overseas market.

The exporters are expecting thedemand to pick up in the comingweeks with China becoming active inthe market. However, a slightappreciation in rupee may not help theexports.

-Economic Times

The World Bank has approved a$50-million additional credit for anongoing agricultural project in Assam.

The Assam AgriculturalCompetitiveness Project (AACP) aimsat increasing the productivity,profitability and market access of thefarming community in the State. Thefocus is on mainstreaming managementapproaches and practices, strengtheningthe agriculture technology managementagencies and making ground waterusage more sustainable.

Investments in rural roads inselect districts with low-costconstruction and innovative bridgedesigns also form part of the project.The roads are meant to connect smallerhabitations and for linking agriculturalproduction with markets in a cost-effective manner.

A World Bank report says thataccording to the Planning Commissionestimates of 1999-2000, about 36 percent of the people in Assam live belowthe poverty line and the State is fourth

in terms of poverty ratio. This is nextonly to Orissa, Bihar and MadhyaPradesh.

Mr Roberto Zagha, World BankCountry Director for India, said thatthe ongoing project had played animportant role in raising theproductivity and market access oftargeted farmer groups of Assam. Ithas mobilised more than three lakhbeneficiaries across the fishery,agriculture, dairy, forestry and livestocksectors.


NEWS SPECTRUMThe project investments will also

focus on raising crop productionthrough a combination of increasedirrigated ‘boro' rice output, cropdiversification, improved extensionadvice and wide-spread use of micro-

nutrients. The additional World Bankcredit will help scale up these projectactivities.

The credit will be provided by theInternational Development

Association, the World Bank'sconcessionary lending arm, whichextends interest-free loans with 25-yearmaturity period and a five-year graceperiod.

The Karnataka Budget for 2012-13 has earmarked Rs 215 crore for thefisheries sector in the State.

This includes funds forconstruction of houses for fishermen,to increase fishling production, and forthe second stage work on a fisheriesharbour in Udupi district.

Presenting the Budget onWednesday, Mr D.V. SadanandaGowda, Karnataka Chief Minister, saidthat Rs 24 crore will be provided forconstruction of 4,000 houses during2012-13 for fishermen without houses.

As there is demand for dieselused by mechanised fishing boats, the

Karnataka earmarks Rs 215 crore for fisheriesdevelopment

quantity of tax-free diesel will beincreased to 1.25 lakh kilo litresduring 2012-13. This figure was 1lakh kilo litres in the 2011-12 Budget.However, it was increased by 15,000kilo litres during the year, taking thetotal to 1.15 lakh kilo litres during2011-12.

Stating that there is demand forfishlings in the State, he said Rs 10crore will be provided for upgradingfish production centres.

Of the 80 crore demand forfishlings in the State, only 40 crore isbeing produced now. There was anincrease of 35 per cent in fishlingproduction during 2011-12.

Mr Gowda said Rs 26 crore willbe provided for the second stage ofthe Hejmadi Kodi harbour in Udupidistrict during 2012-13. This requiresa total investment of Rs 60 crore.

He said Rs 4.5 crore will beprovided for supply of life jacketscosting Rs 1,500 each to 30,000fishermen. Insulated boxes costing Rs4,000 each will be supplied to 6,000fisherwomen in the state, he said.

Mr Gowda said an oceanarium ofinternational standards will beconstructed at KRS Brindavana and atPilikula in Mangalore under public-private partnership.

-The Hindu

Oceanarium: compensatory mangroves planting mootedThe proponents of the Kochi

oceanarium project have come up witha green offer to compensate for thedisturbances the project is likely tocause to the mangrove vegetation atPuthu Vypeen.

The State Fisheries ResourceManagement Society (FIRMA), whichis piloting the project, has offered toplant, nurture and maintain mangroveseither at Vypeen or ValanthakaduIsland in lieu of the mangroves thatwould be lost or disturbed while theproject is implemented. FIRMA willapproach the State-level EnvironmentImpact Assessment Committee(EIAC) with the proposal for seeking

environmental clearance for theproject, said A. Gopalakrishnan Nair,Executive Director of the Society.

The Authority had earlier directedthe Centre for Earth Science Studies,Thiruvananthapuram, to prepare amangrove map of the area. Theclearance of the EIAC is required asthe area proposed for the oceanariumfalls under the Zone One of theCoastal Regulation Zone.

It was during the term of theprevious government that the FisheriesMinistry initiated the project at PuthuVypeen. The State government hadalso formed a Special PurposeVehicle—Kerala Oceanic and Marine

Park Ltd—for conceptualising,executing and commissioning theproject in the Public-PrivatePartnership mode.

The feasibility report preparedearlier had estimated the cost of theproject at around Rs. 480 crore. Whilethe oceanarium component wouldrequire Rs. 350 crore, the marinebiology research park would require Rs.130 crore. The Union Ministry forEarth Sciences had offered to supportthe park by setting up an internationalbiological research centre and shiftingits Centre for Marine Living Resourcesand Ecology to the new site. The Stategovernment had also identified 40


CMFRI’s Cadalmin GreenAlgal extract (Gae) has been releasedat 83rd Annual General Meeting ofthe ICAR Society at NationalAgricultural Science Complex by Dr.Charan Das Mahant, Hon’bleMinister of State for Agriculture andFood Processing Industries, Govt.of India on 6-3-2012. Shri SharadPawar, Hon’ble Union Minister ofAgriculture and Food ProcessingIndustries and President of theICAR Society presided over thefunction. Earlier, Dr. S. Ayyappan,Hon’ble Secretary, DARE andDirector General, ICAR presenteda glimpse of key achievements ofICAR during 2011-12. Agricultureand Animal Husbandry Ministers ofvarious States, Members of theGoverning Body of the ICAR andrepresentatives from internationalorganizations participated in theAGM along with senior ICARofficials and other dignitaries.Concurrently, an exhibition on agri-technologies is also organized on thetheme "Innovative Technologies goCommercial" in which CMFRIproduct Cadalmin Green AlgalExtract (GAe) has been exhibited asICAR technology.

CMFRI developsvegetariannutraceutical Riding high on the success of a

captive breeding programme forfinfish, the Marine Products ExportDevelopment Authority (MPEDA) isgearing up to enter the booming exportmarket for premium grade seafoodproducts.

The authority is preparing to takeup commercial production of sashimi-grade chilled fish. The Rajiv GandhiCentre for Aquaculture (RGCA), theresearch and development wing of theMPEDA, has developed a technologyfor breeding and sea-cage farming ofcobia ( Rachycentron canadrum ), anedible, high-value species of finfish.Cobia is known for its firm, white, andtasty flesh, making it a preferred choicefor the sashimi, a Japanese seafooddelicacy served raw and thinly sliced.

The first harvest of cobia fromthe sea-cage farm set up at Muttom inSouth Tamil Nadu is scheduled to beheld on April 9.

P. Anilkumar, project manager ofthe marine finfish hatchery set up bythe RGCA at Pozhiyoor inThiruvananthapuram, said efforts wereon to tie-up with seafood processorsand exporters to manufacture sashimi-grade chilled fish. The MPEDA hasidentified resource persons from

MPEDA to foray into premiumseafood sector

Taiwan to impart the techniques forvalue addition. European Unionstandards prescribe stringent measureslike chill killing and bleeding forproduction of sashimi-grade fish thatfetches more than Rs.280 a kg in theinternational market.

At the hatchery, huge tanks holdteeming stocks of juvenile cobia indifferent stages of maturity. Seawateris pumped through underground pipesto the tanks. A re-circulating system,an array of filters, bioreactors, proteinskimmers, and scavenging bacteriakeep the tanks clean.

The hatchery is equipped withfacilities for conditioned spawning ofbroodstock and intensive larval rearingof cobia in tanks. It has a strict disease-monitoring and surveillance system forthe caged stock.

Also known as Lemon fish orLing, the cobia at full growth, achievedin two years, weighs around 25 kg,though a rare few are known to havereached 65 kg. The commercial marketsize is six to 10 kg in a year.

Unlike most fish, the cobia doesnot move around in shoals, making itdifficult to be netted in large numbers.But, all over the world, they are a

NEWS SPECTRUMacres in the area for the project, whichwould be accounted as its investmentin the oceanarium.

FIRMA will approach the EIACwith the proposal to relocate the floraand fauna of the Puthu Vypeen area atone of the two sites identified for thepurpose. A detailed project for plantingmangroves at a 20 acre holding near thePokkali fields or at 40 acres atpuramboke land at Valanthakad will besubmitted to the authorities. All varieties

of mangroves present in the projectland will be planted at the selected siteand the society will take up theresponsibility for its propagation,protection and management, he said.

Awareness creation on mangrovevegetation and the role they play insupporting aquatic biodiversity is oneof the thrust areas of the research wingof the oceanarium project. Amangrove pavilion will also be set upas part of the project, he said.

It is a reality that the mangrovevegetation of the area is in peril asseveral mega projects including theLNG terminal are coming up there. Thesociety, which is bound to protect andpropagate the mangroves, has offeredto ensure the propagation of the plantsin a suitable location, Mr. Nair said.

The CESS is expected to submitthe map this week. The society willsubmit its proposals along with themap to the Authority.

-The Hindu


NEWS SPECTRUMfavourite of anglers. The few cobia thatare caught by local fishing vessels aresold to upmarket restaurants and well-heeled customers for a premium.

Cobia's domesticated natures,better adaptation to farmingenvironment, and rapid growth ratehave contributed to its potential foroffshore aquaculture. At present, cobiais cultured in nurseries and grow-out inoffshore cages in China, Taiwan,Vietnam, the U.S., Mexico, and Panama.

The technology for captivebreeding, production of cobia seed,and sea cage farming was developedby the RGCA to overcome the highjuvenile mortality of the species, whichtogether with over-exploitation, hasresulted in dwindling natural stocks.

Mr. Anilkumar said thedevelopment of export-orientedaquaculture technologies would attractyoungsters from coastal communities tocommercial fish farming and

processing. The RGCA is preparing totake up a breeding programme forother commercially important marinefishes.

Besides setting up hatcheries formud crab and Seabass at Nagapattinamin Tamil Nadu, the RGCA hasprogrammes for domestication of tigershrimp, broodstock development ofscampi, an aquatic quarantine facilityat Neelankarai, Chennai, and projectsfor Tilapia and grouper fish.

The Marine Products ExportDevelopment Authority (MPEDA) hasrecently set up a common pre-processing centre (CPC) atSakthikulangara, Kollam district,Kerala.

The official from MPEDA saidthat the operations have just begun andthe remaining works on the facilitywere expected to complete by June thisyear.

The centre has been approvedunder the Assistance to States forDevelopment of ExportInfrastructure (ASIDE) scheme forGovernment of India. The officialinformed that the project envisagedbetter working environment forwomen folk engaged in pre-processingactivities in the area and also ensurehygienic handling and pre-processing

MPEDA's pre-processing centre starts operations;works to complete in June

of raw materials meant for export.

In this regard, a number of fundswere released during 2008-09 - Rs 113lakh, Rs 27 lakh and Rs 112 lakh werereleased for the years 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12 respectively - MPEDAinforms through its website.

"The human nature itself is suchthat when an individual is engrossedin some work there are possibilities ofthe work getting hampered throughexternal factors, for instance, when thefish peeling process is done, chancesare high that the hygiene conditions arecompromised when it is carried at theirhomes," official said.

He then said that the commonpre-processing unit would provide abasic platform for all those farmersproviding all the amenities required for

the processing of seafood exports.Further, other schemes include

provision of basic facilities for fishcuring, drying, packing, storage forexport of chilled fish or chilled tuna,technology upgrade for marineproducts, setting up of modern iceplant and renovation of existing plantacquisition of machinery for tunacannery or processing of value-addedtuna product for acquisition ofrefrigerated truck and containers,setting up of large cold storages andsubsidised distribution of insulatedfish boxes.

Not only this, but also a maximumsum of Rs 50,000 for establishingpeeling shed and pre-processing planthas been allotted, the MPEDA said ina release.

fnbnews.com

Fisherwomen get subsidised loans through JLGsCorporation Bank, in association

with Dakshina Kannada and UdupiCo-operative Fish MarketingFederation Ltd., launched a subsidisedloan scheme for fisherwomen throughjoint liability groups (JLGs) in the city.

The bank has identified 72 groupsconsisting of 700 fisherwomen in

Mangalore through the federation andabout Rs. 3.50 crore credit will beextended to them through 11 branchesof the bank in Mangalore.

Each Joint Liability Group wouldhave a minimum of four and amaximum of 10 members and eachmember would be eligible for a

maximum loan of Rs. 50,000 repayablein 35 months.

Ajai Kumar, Chairman andManaging Director, CorporationBank, presided over the function. Hesaid the fisherwomen would pay aninterest rate of 3 per cent. The balanceof the 12.65 per cent rate of interest


NEWS SPECTRUM


NEWS SPECTRUMwould be subsidised by the StateGovernment.

"People (who are taking loansfrom the bank) are repaying theloans," Mr Kumar said. The bankprovides credit linkages to 1,24,000self-help groups (SHGs) with anamount of Rs. 1,000 crore, he said.Representatives of Sri RakshaSwasahaya Sangha, Mangalore, weregiven a cheque of Rs. 5 lakh. Theother SHGS that received cheques forloans included Sri Vinayaka

Swasahaya Sangha, Bokkapatna,Mangalore; Sri Ganesha SwasahayaSangha, Bokkapatna; VaishnaviSwasahaya Sangha, Boloor; SpandanaSwasahaya Sangha, and DurgambikaSwasahaya Sangha from ThotaBengre.

Earlier, in association with theFederation, the bank had financed 223JLGs, consisting of 2,000 fisherwomenand a loan of Rs. 9.73 crore had beenextended through six branches inUdupi district.

B. Nagaraj Shetty, Chairman ofthe Coastal Development Authority,inaugurated the loan disbursing event.

Yashpal A. Suvarna, president,Fish Marketing Federation; NitinKumar, president, Karnataka FisheriesDevelopment Corporation Limited;Palangappa, Assistant Registrar of Co-operative Societies, Mangalore; SureshKumar, Joint Director (Fisheries),Mangalore,; and R.P. Arora, DeputyGeneral Manager, Corporation Bank,were present.

The Portuguese fleet manages tocapture only a quarter of the fishconsumed in the country, which meansthat if the Portuguese ate only the fishcaught by their fishing boats, theywould have no reserves.

According to a joint report byNews Economic Foundation (NEF)and OCEAN2012, Portugal is one ofthe countries of the European Union(EU) depending more on importedfish.

This year, the country stoppedbeing self-sufficient on 30 March whilelast year the same happened but almosta month later, on 26 April.

This means that in 2012, Portugalhas less capacity to meet its fishconsumption needs with their owncatches in EU waters. And the countrydepends more on fishing outside theEU to fulfill the remaining threequarters of its annual consumption.

Dependence on imported fish on the riseAniol Esteban, from News

Economic Foundation, co-author ofthe report, notes that Portugal is thecountry showing the highest per capitafish consumption across the EU, withan intake that is three times higher thanthe EU average.

The report prepared by the twointernational bodies also warns that"fish stocks are a renewable resource,but, according to statistics from theEuropean Commission, more fish arebeing caught from the sea than whatecosystems can replenish," the agencyLusa reported.

The purpose of this report is to"draw attention to a fundamental issuebecause if both the EU and Portugalconsume more fish than their waterscan produce, something has tochange."

The warning comes just when thereform of the Common Fisheries

Policy (CFP) is under discussion.

The report also reveals that muchof the consumption in Portugal isfocused on a single species, cod, whichis not captured by the Portuguese fleet.

Thus, the two bodies recommendthat the Portuguese should chooseother species that are caught in nationalwaters even when they may not be aswell known and popular, such asmackerel, which currently has a lowcommercial value.

Gonzalo Carvalho, president ofthe Association of Marine Sciencesand Cooperation, believes aquaculturecan solve part of the problem "butonly if it is directed towardsenvironmentally sustainableproduction methods" and towardsspecies that are not dependent on otherwild fish for their production.

Source:www.fis.com

Clown fish rearing gets a boost in RamanathapuramIn a significant step towards

conservation of marine biodiversity, theCentre for Advanced Study in MarineBiology of Annamalai University hasdeveloped a technology for establishingmarine ornamental fish hatchery for 10

species of clowns, which usually live inand around coral reefs.

The new technology enables thegrowers to develop clown larvae andrear them in non-coral region such asestuaries, mangrove forests and

backwater areas by creating artificialcoral reef ambience.

Though, the initial nourishment forthe clown's larvae is obtained from yolk,the new technology moots exogenousfeeding as yolk reserves is limited.


NEWS SPECTRUMT. T. Ajith Kumar, Senior

Research Officer, Centre of AdvanceStudy in Marine Biology, who playeda key role in the development of thetechnology, told The Hindu that thelarvae were fed with micro algaeChlorella salina and enriched rotiferBrachionus plicatil is and from11{+t}{+h}day onwards newlyhatched Artemia nauplii weresupplied. After 15-20 days of posthatching, the larvae became juvenileand were shifted from pelagic toepibenthic sledge.

Juveniles were transferred to 500litre capacity Fibre Reinforced Plastictanks along with anemones. In thisstage, the feed was switched to boiledclam meat, oyster, prawn and squid.

After 3 months, juveniles grew

into marketable size which ranges from3-3.5 cm and they would be sold toaquarists, hobbyists and otherentrepreneurs.

The species of clowns such as A.sebae, A. percula, A. ocellaris, A. clarkii,A. frenatus, A. akallopisos, A. nigripes,A. ephippium and A. perideraion P.biaculeatus, which have good demandin the market, could be grown by usingestuarine water. The new technologyboosts the survival rate of juveniles toaround 80 percent, which was just 55to 60 percent in the old technology.

He added that besides ademonstration hatchery for marineornamental fishes at Chennai incollaboration with Fisheries Instituteof Technology and Training, a rearingunit for clown fishes hasbeen

established at Ervadi near here incollaboration with Gulf of MannarBiosphere Reserve Trust.

Mr. Kumar said the technologyhad also been transferred to the coastalpeople and fisheries extension officialsthrough training and demonstrations.Aspects such as establishment ofbackyard hatchery, fish handling,feeding, water quality, larval rearing,live feed culture, disease diagnosis,packing, transportation and marketingwere taught to various stakeholders.

This new technology couldprevent the collection of ornamentalfish from coral reef habitats andindiscriminate exploitation ofornamental fishes, which causes severedamage to the ecosystem, he added.

K.K. Manoj, a fish farmersupported by the PeruvannamuzhiKrishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) of theIndian Institute of Spices Research(ISSR), has won the Innovative FarmerAward of the Indian AgriculturalResearch Institute (IARI), New Delhi,for 2012.

Manoj, 46, hailing from Atholi inKozhikode, was chosen for the awardfor an innovative approach to fishfarming in a two hectare brackish waterpond near his home.

IARI honour for fish farmerLow-cost culture unit

He developed a low-cost fish cageculture unit using plastic bottles asfloats. He also designed a trap usingPVC net for catching fish from theprawn filtration field and for collectingpearl spot (Karimeen) fingerlings.

With technical support from theKVK, he had successfully rearedscampi, a giant freshwater prawnlocally known as "aatu konchu" in hishatchery.

Manoj is the only farmer fromKerala to receive the award this year.

Sompal Shastri, former Ministerfor Agriculture and Member of thePlanning Commission, presented theaward on March 3 at the Pusa KrishiVigyan Mela in New Delhi.

Manoj was nominated by theKVK for his innovations. Manoj isgiven technical support by B. Pradeep,fisheries expert at the KVK.

-The Hindu

Fresh fish you can even catch yourselves

Although spring is still a monthaway, those zero temperatures appearto have vanished and I have alreadyseen a bird flying into one of my treeswith a beak full of nesting material. Isee this period of the year as the perfecttime to visit popular places that areoverloaded with visitors during thetourist season, which is why I took my

Border collie for a day out to theCotswolds.

I chose Bibury, just 28 miles fromOxford and about eight from Burfordas there’s a 41-acre trout farm in thecentre of this lovely little village, wherefreshly-caught trout can be boughtevery day.

Bibury was described by WilliamMorris as the most beautiful village inEngland, and having visited it manytimes and in all its guises, I am inclinedto agree, although I tend to avoid it atthe height of the holiday season whenit is clogged up with tourists. Visit itnow and you will be able to park your


NEWS SPECTRUMcar with ease and wander comfortablyaround the streets without findingyourself dodging around Japanesevisitors and their cameras.

The trout farm was founded in1902 by naturalist Arthur Severn, whowanted to stock local rivers and streamswith native brown trout. This still goeson today, which means that there is alittle bit of Bibury in rivers, streams,lakes and ponds all over the country.

Mature fish find themselvesdistributed to the kitchens of pubs andrestaurants, where Bibury trout is muchprized. You will also discover them on salein many Oxfordshire farmers’ markets.

Apart from walking the groundsof the trout farm, visitors can view andfeed the fish, watching them jump highin the air to catch the pellets. That’sthe bit my dog loves most, though Ihave to keep a firm grip on his lead atthat point to stop him trying to jointhe leaping fish. Yes, dogs are allowed

into the fish farm providing they arekept on a lead which turns a visit thereinto a real family day out.

A playground in a corner of thefarm caters for children, though theywill also enjoy learning all about thetrout, the grading process and thehatcheries.

Visitors can even catch their owntrout if they visit during the weekendfrom March to October. Fishing tackleis provided if they haven’t broughttheir own. Fresh and smoked trout isalso on sale at the farm’s little shopwhere brown and rainbow trout areavailable, both whole and filleted.

You can differentiate rainbowtrout from brown trout by their colour.Rainbow trout is distinguished by thebroad purple band along its flanks andthe black spots on its tail fin. Thebrown trout has — not surprisingly!— a brownish appearance, withnumerous black and rusty red spots on

its upper side, though both its colourand shape will depend on where it isfound.

Trout is one of the oil-rich fish thatthe government recommends we eat atleast once a week. Unfortunately, onlya third of adults reach this target, despitethe fact that the fish’s Omega-3 plays avital role in preventing death from heartdisease by lowering blood fat levels andreducing blood clotting. An averageportion of grilled trout flesh provides1.838grams of Omega-3polyunsaturated fatty acids, which is wellwithin the guidelines of 1.5g a week.

Trout is an excellent source ofiron, calcium, selenium and vitaminsA, B1, B2 and B6. It also containsnatural oils which help keep hair andskin in good condition.

When buying trout, it’s the eyesthat tell you if it is fresh. Look for abright-eyed, firm fleshed fish that hasa fresh sweet smell. One word of


advice though: if you are buying freshfish from the trout farm, visit the shopjust before you drive home, so that itremains at a chilled temperature untilthe last moment. Fail to do that andthose gleaming eyes will begin to losetheir lustre.

A day out at Bibury is notcomplete without taking lunch at TheCatherine Wheel, Bibury’s only pub,which is just a few yards from the troutfarm. This atmospheric, family-owned15th-century pub is run by JeremyWhite and his team. As Jeremy is both

the owner and the head chef, a goodmeal created from local produce isalways assured, especially if you chooseJeremy’s fish cakes made from Biburytrout and finish your meal with hisdelicious home-made ice cream.

-oxfordtimes.co.uk

The Government of Keralaproposes to come up with a stateaquaculture policy to enhance culturedfish production in the state.

The Times of India reports that thefisheries department has put forth theproposal for cabinet approval. It has alsocome up with a Government Ordernotifying the setting up of a 11-memberexpert panel to proposerecommendations for an effective policy.

The names of internationalaquaculture expert M N Kutty as thechairman of the panel and the fisheriesjoint director as the panel convenor hasbeen proposed. The other names havenot been finalised but experts fromuniversities and fishery institutions willbe among the members.

Government to Enhance Aquaculture with New Policy“A policy is needed to look at ways

to enhance fish production in the state,which has a high potential foraquaculture. Yet Kerala’s contributionis less than two per cent of thecountry’s production,” said fisheriesminister K Babu.

He said there were a lot of pokkalifarms (paddy cultivated in water withlow salinity) that also had aquacultureand added, “We need to promoteinland fisheries culture”.

The government is also lookingat the resources, fields that can haveonly one crop at a time and also theleasing policy for fish farming. “Atpresent, the land can be leased for justone year. But no bank lends loan forsuch a short lease period. So, the policy

will look into such issues,” said MrAjayan, joint director, fisheriesdepartment, Thiruvananthapuram. Hesaid there were factors of pollution andinland fisheries development thatneeded to be looked into, and rulesformulated accordingly.

“We have to look at the zonationof water bodies and Kol wetlands toidentify where aqua farming can bedone,” said C Mohanakumaran Nair,pro-vice-chancellor, Kerala FisheriesUniversity. On the problems ofaquaculture in the state, he said therewere several environmental and socio-economic aspects that would needserious discussions.

The FishSite News Desk

Fish farming: Profitable but beset by manychallenges

Tilapia refers to a group of almosthundred fish species that mostly livein freshwater bodies. They are a highlynutritious food source. Tilapia is lowin saturated fat and is a good proteinsource. It also contains themicronutrients; phosphorus, niacin,selenium, vitamin B12 and potassium.The fish therefore generally vary inappearance and size.

Ms Theresa Namisango, whorears fish at St. Jude Fish Farm inSenya, Kingo sub-county in Lwengodistrict, says that the colour of the

fish differs depending on the type ofbreed. Though fish far ming isprofitable as a source of income,there are a number of challenges thathinder realising its full commercialpotential.

She gave the ever-increasingprice of feeds as one of the majorchallenges that fish farmers face.“Yet under all circumstances the fishhave to be fed and often this leadsto losses because the traders who buythe fish from the farmers are notready to pay commensurate prices,”she says.

The weather also has a strongeffect on the fish. When it is hot, thewater tends to warm up which she saidretards the fish’s growth. When thereis insufficient rain for a long time, theflow of water reduces yet it is this waterthat aids in taking oxygen into thefarming ponds.

Against the odds

There is also the challenge ofneighbouring farms using herbicideson weeds, which are then washed intothe ponds when it rains. Theseherbicides sometimes poison the fish.

NEWS SPECTRUM


In addition to theives who stealthe fish from the ponds with scoopnets, fish is also eaten by birds, snakesand other predators. This reduces thefish numbers and minimises thefarmer’s income. Tilapia fish is ready

for sale at about a weight of 400 grams.The fish is normally weighed every twomonths to ensure and monitor propergrowth and progress.

Namisango says her customersare from as far as Rwanda, D R

Congo, apart from the fish vendorsfrom Masaka district. Despite all theodds, Namisango continues topractice fish farming because it bringsextra income.

monitor.co.ug

The State Cabinet approved theambitious Meghalaya AquacultureMission aimed at enhancing fishproduction in the State.

Addressing a press conferenceafter the Cabinet meeting, ChiefMinister Dr Mukul Sangma informedthat the Meghalaya AquacultureMission would be launched onMarch 5.

It may be mentioned that the StateGovernment is intending to cover atotal water area of 10,000 hectares,

Cabinet nod to M’laya Aquaculture Missionaveraging around 20,000 fish pondsevery year under the aquacultureproject.

“This programme would generateemployment opportunities for thepeople,” Dr Sangma told reportersafter the meeting.

He also informed that the totalestimated cost of the project would beRs 1134 crore and funds are derivedfrom the State plan.

VAT amendment: The StateCabinet has approved the amendment

of the Meghalaya Value Added Taxwherein the amount of VAT would becalculated at the bonded ware houseand not at the bottling plant.

According to Dr Sangma, theCAG has also observed that there isno reason to feel that there would beloss of revenue if VAT is enforced atthe bonded ware house since the Statewas sourcing the Indian ManufacturedLiquor (IML) bottles from bottlingplants located outside Meghalaya.

-The Shillongtimes

The Delhi Cabinet has approvedauctioning of fishing activities in 24water bodies on gram sabha land in theCapital.

At a meeting chaired by ChiefMinister Sheila Dikshit, it was decidedthat fish culture would be encouragedin the water bodies and village pondsto overcome the problem ofencroachment of such water bodiessituated on gram sabha land.

By virtue of a notification ofMay 23, 1957, water bodies in thevillages of Delhi had become theproperty of gram sabha. However,over the years it was noticed that dueto increase in population, such waterbodies were also being encroached bythe people resulting in reduction innatural sources of water and

Delhi Govt. to promote fish farming in rural areas‘24 water bodies identified where fishing could be introduced’

depletion of water table inDelhi. Further, many of these waterbodies had also suffered on accountof pollution caused by running ofdrains and sewerage lines into them.

As per the provision of DelhiLand Reforms Act, 1954, it is the dutyof gram panchayat to develop activitiessuch as poultry farming andfishery. Further, the Delhi High Courthad directed the Delhi Government totake all precautionary measures forrevival and maintenance of waterbodies.

In view of this, the Governmentsaid the Fisheries Unit of itsDevelopment Department hadidentified 24 such water bodies inNorth-West District where fishingcould be introduced.

“The Cabinet has decided toauction these water bodies for fishingactivities on approved terms andconditions which include utilisation ofponds for only fish and fish seed ofcultureable varieties, not to furtherhand over pond to any other person,no modification in the existingstructure in the water bodies and notto do any activity which is not inconformity with the existing or futurelaws of environment,’’ a statement bythe Delhi Government said.

Further, the ownership of landsand ponds shall continue to remainwith the gram sabha. The Cabinet hasalso approved composition of theproposed auction committees whichwill conduct auctions.

-Tribune News Service.

NEWS SPECTRUM


1. Mr. Levkovich AleksandrPresident,Mega Line,21, Ruzovskaya str.,Saint-Petersburg, 190013, RussiaTel: +7 (812) 380 08 40Email: [email protected], Shrimp (small size)

2. Mr. Paul DoManagerNew Ocean Seafood Market793 Crescent Street,Brockton MA 02302Tel: + 781 535 8494Shrimp, Pomfret, Mackerel, Grouper

3. Mr. Vanessa IpC You Group LimitedWorkshop A, 20/FCapital Trade Centre,No.62 Tsun Yip Street,Kwun Tong, Kowloon,Hong KongTel :+ 852 9880 4122E-mail : [email protected], Leather Jacket fish, Ribbon fish

4. Mr. Chris GiannisDirector of SalesAquafin Trade. Inc5240 N. Sheridan Rd,Suite 101, Chicago, IL 60640, USATel : + 773 358 2300

+ 312 256 4546E-mail : [email protected], Grouper, Red Snapper

5. Mr. Z. ZhengPurchasing ManagerDalian Rich EnterpriseGroup Co. Ltd.,Shiyuan International Mansion 30F,Jinma Road 156,Development Zone, Dalian,China – 11600Tel : +86 11 88032000

+86 13998627581E-mail : [email protected] (HL, HO)

6. Mr. Chee Hyoun KimL.A Branch Director,Wang Globalnet

TRADE ENQUIRYTrade Enquiries received during IBSS 2012

2465 Fruitland Ave.,Vernon CA 90058Tel : + 213 841 7400E-mail : [email protected], Beltfish

7. Mr. Jacky DjeuS.L. Seafood (USA) Inc.,4340 Stevens Creek Blvd,Ste 163, San Jose, CA 95129Tel : + 408 983 0988

+ 408 829 1180E-mail : [email protected] clam, Squid whole, Cuttlefish,Shrimp

8. Mr. Mohamed ElbeyManager, HAFSA SAMAC332, Lotissement Lina-SidiMaarouf20190 Csablanca – MarocTel : + 212 5 22 97 40

+ 212 6 61 47 20 44E-mail: [email protected] Raw/Cooked

9. Mr. Bi CuiGeneral ManagerGuangzhou Aquatic ProductGroup Co., Ltd.,Zhaocunqishimu Commerce Zone,Fangcun, Liwan District,Guanzhou.Tel : + 13922187031

+ 020 81567608E-mail : [email protected] / Shrimp

10. Mr. Celestino VillarrealPresidentAMA Packing LLC, P O Box 5208,Brownsville, TX 78521Tel : + 956 592 1318E-mail : [email protected] Shrimp

11. Mr. Alexey GolovchenkoGeneral DirectorKonus-plus6 Burakova Str, MoscowTel : + 7 495 921 03 05

+ 7 916 858 06 35E-mail : [email protected] / Shrimp

12. Mr. Kevin SuhVice PresidentPacific Frozen, Inc.,4300 Campus Drive # 103Newport Beach, CA 92660Tel : + 949 250 0757

+ 949 836 4417E-mail : [email protected]

13. Mr. Sergio MendezHead Chef, VIVA, 15 East Plain St.,Wayland, MA 01778Tel : + 508 651 3300E-mail: [email protected], Tilapia, Whole Squid

14. Mr. Alexander ShuvalovGeneral DirectorKIT Ltd., 19304, 157, bld. 19Dmitrovskoye shosseMoscow, Russia, 127276Tel : + 7 495 787 38 01

+ 7 495 720 85 50E-mail : [email protected] / Vannamei

15. Mr. Sasha QuVice General Manager,Shandong Oriental Ocean Sci-techCo., Ltd., 18Acuma Avenue,Hi-Tech Zone, Yantai, ChinaTel : + 0535 6929077E-mail : [email protected] Cuttlefish

16. Mr. Mitsuo IshikawaPurchase Manager,True World Foods New York LLC32-34 Papetti Plaza, Elizabeth,NJ 07206, USATel : + 908 351 9090

+ 908 347 7320E-mail [email protected] Fresh & Chilled

17. Mr. Philip S. DrewPresident, Delta Sea Products,14660 McCormick DriveTampa, FL. 33626, USATel : + 813 855 5777

+ 1 800 732 4803Grouper

Documents

New Letter MPEDA March 2012accolades in seafood shows around the world. He was very much appreciative about the range of seafood products exhibited and the response in India Pavilion