CIBA guide fisheries students to set up start-up hatchery for Asian Seabass

Three fisheries graduate from Mangalore Fisheries College have come up with a start-up initiative in seed production of Asian seabass with the technical support of Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture (CIBA), Chennai.

This is the first attempt in the country in setting up the seabass hatchery in the private sector on a start-up mode. The MoU was signed between the CIBA and ‘Canares Aquaculture’ owned by the young entrepreneurs from Kumta, Karnataka to ensure transfer of CIBA’s technology on seabass seed production to the latter.

Karthik Gowda VS, Kaushik Alike and Sachin V Savan, the three fisheries graduates from Mangalore Fisheries College, chose to develop their career in entrepreneurship and become job providers. Their visit to the CIBA’s seabass hatchery at Muttukadu experimental station during their course programme influenced them in setting up an aquaculture start-up. CIBA institute provided them technical guidance and field training in seabass nursery rearing.

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KK Vijayan, CIBA Director, said “It is a path-breaking development in the country’s aquaculture sector with youngsters coming with start-up ventures which will pave way for a resurgence and growth in the brackishwater aquaculture, especially Asian seabass farming in the country”.

According to him, private sector is reluctant to enter marine fish seed production due to the relatively longer production cycle and need for unique skill sets required for rearing marine fish larvae.

With the farmed Asian seabass having huge commercial value, he said there is a huge demand for its quality seeds among aqua-farmers. The presence of well-established value chain for seabass is evident from spawn to harvest size, where huge demand exists among the farmers for the range of hatchery and farm produced seeds.

The final grow-out seabass above one kg size fetches a market price in the range of ₹450-750 with smart profits for farmers, he added.