TRANSPORTS FISH SEEDS FROM THIRUVANANTHAPURAM TO IRAN

TRANSPORTS FISH SEEDS FROM THIRUVANANTHAPURAM TO IRAN

. The Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Aquaculture (RGCA), the research and development wing of the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), has made its first foray into the overseas market by successfully transporting a consignment of fish seed from Thiruvananthapuram to Iran.The shipment comprising 0.5 million one-day-old yolk fry and 40 juveniles of cobia ( Rachycentron canadrum ), an edible high-value species of finfish, was despatched to the Asian Fisheries Technology and Management (AFTM), a company under the Fisheries department, Iran, earlier this month. The pilot-scale export is expected to net foreign exchange to the tune of over Rs.1.7 lakh. RGCA is expecting another order of one million yolk fry from AFTM. It has had trade inquiries from Taiwan, Philippines, and other South East Asian countries also.“Packing and transporting the newly hatched cobia fry was a challenge. Our target was to reach the stocks to the destination within 48 hours after hatching, by which time the cobia fry open their mouth and start feeding,” says P. Anilkumar, project manager, RGCA, Thiruvananthapuram. For the first 48 hours after hatching, the cobia fry subsist on the yolk that they carry under their body in a sac.

AFTM has plans to use the seed material from India for a finfish stock enhancement programme after larval rearing.The cobia larvae were packed in polythene bags filled with water, oxygen, and ammonia adsorbents. Organic anaesthetics were added to the bags carrying fingerlings to reduce stress during transport.RGCA has developed technology for breeding and sea cage farming of cobia, a fish known for its firm, white, and tasty flesh.The cobia seeds are produced from the captive broodstock at the hatchery located at Pozhiyoor, near Thiruvananthapuram.“The decision to export cobia fry was taken to share the excess production capacity at our hatchery.MPEDA is working on the development of infrastructure, capacity building of entrepreneurs, and leasing policy to utilise all the seed produced here,” Mr. Anilkumar said.The logistics to reach out to the AFTM facility located in a remote suburb posed a challenge for RGCA. The seed was first transported via Dubai to Tehran.After an overnight stay there, it was taken to the hatchery site by a local flight next day morning.

 “The quarantine protocols of the Iran Veterinary Organisation were very tough. The cobia stocks at our hatchery are routinely screened for marine fish diseases and other infections at RGCA's Central Pathology Laboratory. This came in handy in tackling the quarantine regulations,” Mr. Anilkumar explained.RGCA has launched a programme to spawn cobia at an interval of 60 days in controlled environment. Efforts are on to bring down the breeding interval to 30 days.Also known as Lemon fish or Ling, the cobia achieves a body weight of 25 kg in two years.The high juvenile mortality of the species, together with over exploitation, has resulted in dwindling natural stocks.Currently, the cobia is cultured in nurseries and grow- out offshore cages in China, Taiwan, and Vietnam as well as the US, Mexico, and Panama.

Prof. John Kurakar