Aquaculture
🔍 What is Aquaculture?
Let’s begin with the definition, not as a formality, but as a foundation.
Aquaculture, as defined by the FAO, is:
“The farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, molluscs, and aquatic plants.”
Now, focus on the word “farming” — this is what distinguishes aquaculture from fishing.
👉 Fishing is hunting in the wild.
👉 Aquaculture is cultivation — like agriculture, but in water.
So, just as we grow crops in fields, in aquaculture we raise aquatic animals and plants in a controlled environment, like ponds, tanks, or even in the sea with enclosures.
🌊 Types of Aquaculture in India
India practices diverse forms of aquaculture depending on the water type:
1. Freshwater Aquaculture
Contributes over 95% of India’s aquaculture production.
🧪 Important Institution:
- CIFA (Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture), Bhubaneswar
- Think of CIFA as the ICAR of freshwater fish. It develops scientific techniques for breeding, feeding, and rearing freshwater species.
🐠 Commonly Cultured Species:
- Carps – Catla, Rohu, Mrigal
- Catfishes – Magur (Clarias batrachus), Singhi (Heteropneustes fossilis)
- Freshwater prawns, Ornamental fishes
📍 Major States:
- West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu
2. Brackish Water Aquaculture
Brackish water is slightly salty – found in estuaries and coastal lagoons.
📍 Regions:
- West Bengal – Bheries (traditional fish ponds using wastewater)
- Kerala – Pokkali fields (salt-tolerant paddy + fish)
- Andhra Pradesh, Goa
🐟 Cultured Species:
- Tiger shrimp, Sea bass, Grey mullet, Mud crab
🏆 Leading State:
- Andhra Pradesh – top in brackish water aquaculture.
3. Shrimp Farming
Shrimp is the golden crop of aquaculture — high demand, high export value.
- Nellore, Andhra Pradesh is known as the Shrimp Capital of India
- Technological advancements (like semi-intensive farming) and government subsidies have rapidly boosted shrimp farming.
- Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Odisha are major producers.
4. Mariculture
Marine aquaculture – farming in the open sea or coastal areas.
Think of floating cages in the sea, where marine fish are raised—just like animals in a controlled pasture, but underwater.
Products:
- Food: Marine fish, prawns, oysters
- Non-food: Pearls, agar (for lab cultures), bio-products
5. Algaculture
The cultivation of algae, especially microalgae.
Algae may sound insignificant, but they are green gold in biotechnology:
- Omega-3 fatty acids (heart health)
- Natural dyes, fertilizers
- Bioplastics, pharmaceuticals
6. Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA)
Let’s pause here for a real-world analogy.
Imagine a zero-waste kitchen:
- Leftover rice is fed to cows, cow dung goes to compost, compost grows vegetables.
Similarly, IMTA creates a self-sustaining aquaculture system.
Waste from one species becomes food or fertilizer for another.
Components:
- Fed species: Fish/shrimp
- Organic extractive species: Shellfish (consume organic matter)
- Inorganic extractive species: Seaweed (absorb dissolved nutrients)
It mimics natural food chains, thus ensuring ecological balance.
7. Fish Farming (Pisciculture)
Commercial-scale fish production in tanks, cages, ponds.
Common Fish:
- Carp, Catfish, Trout, Tilapia, Salmon
Fish farming is done in both freshwater and brackish/marine systems.
8. Sewage-Fed Fish Culture
A very old and localized method — especially in West Bengal’s bheries.
- Here, fish are grown in sewage-fed ponds, where organic matter in wastewater acts as nutrient-rich food for fish.
- It’s a low-cost, sustainable system, but needs hygiene checks for human consumption.
📈 India’s Global Status
- Second-largest fish producer in the world (after China)
- Third largest in global aquaculture production (As of April 2025)
- 2nd in world for prawn production (As of April 2025)
📜 Government Support & Initiatives
✅ Subsidies and Support:
- Under schemes like PM Matsya Sampada Yojana
- Financial assistance for tanks, hatcheries, fish feed, cold storage
🌐 R&D Institutions:
- CIFA for freshwater
- CMFRI (Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute) for mariculture
- ICAR-CIBA (Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture): Pioneering SPF (specific pathogen-free) prawn development. Promotion of phage therapy to tackle bacterial diseases.
🎯 Why is Aquaculture Important for India?
Let’s conclude with the bigger picture:
- 🌾 Food security – Fish is a cheap source of protein.
- 💼 Employment – Especially for coastal and rural communities.
- 💸 Exports – Major contributor to India’s foreign exchange.
- 🌿 Sustainability – With methods like IMTA and algaculture, aquaculture can be eco-friendly.
- 👩🌾 Inclusivity – Provides livelihood to women and marginalized communities.
🧠 Final Thought
If agriculture feeds the land, aquaculture feeds the water.
And with India’s rich geography — rivers, coastlines, and inland wetlands — we are uniquely positioned to harness this “blue economy.”
Aquaculture isn’t just about fish — it’s about science, sustainability, and socio-economic empowerment.
