Development of carp fish culture practice under different stocking densities in mid hills of Uttarakhand, India

Abstract

The present study was undertaken in order to standardise the stocking density values of carps fishes for sustainable fisheries development in mid hills and enhancing the fish production. The paper deals with growth performance of 3 exotic fish species in low stocking density i.e. 3 fish/m3 over high stocking density of 5 fish/m3 and 10 fish/m3 in the control pond. The net production was 12.6% higher with stocking density of 3 fish/m3. Among the both tested density, the combination of 30: 40: 30 was superior (45.6%) in terms of growth and production in comparison to the other combinations and control. In present study, the highest production as 57.13kg/100m2 (5713 kg/ha.) was achieved in the stocking ratio of 30:40:30 with stocking density of 3 fish/m3. It is 4.7% higher of the combination of 40:30:30 and 4% higher than the combination of 30: 30: 40. It is 12.6% higher than the stocking density of 5 fish/m3 and 48.5% higher than the stocking density of 10 fish /m3. The growth pattern reflected the slow growth during the winter months, reflected the direct negative effect of water temperature on the growth. The production level of existing practice of the farmers may be enhanced up to 1.5 times with proper stocking density i.e. 3 fish/m3 and perfect species combination i.e. 30: 40: 30 for silver carp, grass carp and common carp respectively.