Growth Performance of Carps in Pen Culture in A Floodplain Wetland of West Bengal

Abstract

Pen culture experiments with Indian major carps {Cat la cat la, Labeo rohita and Cirrhinus mrigala) were carried out in a floodplain wetland (Mathura beel) in North 24-Parganas district of West Bengal to standardize the stocking density vis-a-vis growth performance. The stocking densities evaluated were 10,000,20,000 and 30,000 nos/ha with two replications for each. The productions obtained from the pens have been estimated as 2857.5, 2637.6 and 2606.2 kg/ha, respectively at three stocking densities. Most essential ecological components like physico-chemical parameters, plankton, benthos, periphyton and macrophytic fauna were estimated at regular intervals. Stocking density of 10,000 nos/ha with a mortality rate of 10% yielded best results in fish harvest. Average size of the fishes was 400 g for C. catla, 300 g for L. rohita and 225 g for C. mrigala in 150 days of culture period. Increase in stocking densities probably resulted in the crowding and increase of mortality rate between 30% and 37%. Higher stocking density reduced the growth rate and the net yield.