Indian Aquaculture Research Articles

Design and development of an automatic feeder for Penaeus vannamei culture

The introduction of Penaeus vannamei Boone, 1931, during 2009 opened up a new vista in Indian aquaculture. Presently, 90% of shrimp farming in the country is contributed by P. vannamei. The potential productivity level is around 10-12 t ha-1 and handling the feed during the course of culture increases considerably especially towards the end of culture period. This calls for automation in shrimp farming especially for feeding practices so that labour problem faced by the industry could be solved. The biosecurity requirement for vannamei farming can also be best met with the use of automatic feeders. The present study attempted designing and development of an indigenous automatic feeder for P. vannamei culture. The feeder design comprised four major components viz., feed hopper, distribution mechanism, a control unit for regulating the quantity and frequency of feeding and the power supply unit. Automation is effected through two timers with a digital display so that dispensing of the feed as well as duration of feeding could be easily adjusted by the farmers. Performance evaluation of the automatic feeder was done exhaustively and the results clearly showed that the maximum dispersion distance was 39 m dia and the maximum quantity of feed dispersed was 620 g in 5 sec. On farm evaluation of the feeder was also carried out in a shrimp pond and the installation height was optimised as approximately 75 cm - 1 m from the water level for facilitating better dispersion of the feed.

Prevalence of Fish and Shrimp Diseases and Use of Various Drugs and Chemicals in Indian Aquaculture for Disease Management

Prevalence of Fish and Shrimp Diseases and Use of Various Drugs and Chemicals in Indian Aquaculture for Disease Management

Present Status of Fish Disease Management in Freshwater Aquaculture in India: State-of-the-Art-Review

Present Status of Fish Disease Management in Freshwater Aquaculture in India: State-of-the-Art-Review

Present status of Fisheries and Impact of Emerging Diseases of Fish and Shellfish in Indian Aquaculture

Present status of Fisheries and Impact of Emerging Diseases of Fish and Shellfish in Indian Aquaculture

Chryseobacterium sp. PLI2 and Aeromonas hydrophila co-infection in pacu, Piaractus brachypomus (Cuvier, 1817) fries cultured in West Bengal, India

The present study reports the first isolation of Chryseobacterium sp. and co-infection with Aeromonas hydrophila in pacu, Piaractus brachypomus fries cultured in West Bengal, India. The infected pacu fries showed white patches on gill, tail rot, skin discoloration, scale loss, skin peeling, emaciation, and kidney inflammation. The yellow pigmented colony from the kidney of pacu on selective cytophaga agar was identified as Chryseobacterium sp. based on colony pigmentation, cell morphology, phenotypic characterization, and 16S rDNA gene sequencing. Phylogenetically, the members of the genus Chryseobacterium clustered together as a separate clade and the strain PLI2 (NCBI accession number KP898212) branched with a non-type strain C. indologenes VIT-CMJ1 (accession number KJ437473) with high node value (100). Yet, the strain PLI2 was distinctly different from closely related type strain C. indologenes LMG 8337 (accession number LN681561) with 97% DNA homology and low (80) node value or other type strains of NCBI GenBank database. The challenge experiments indicated that Chryseobacterium sp. PLI2 can cause substantial mortalities (25%) in abraded and bath (2.2×107/mL) treated pacu fries. The kidney of challenged pacu became pale and inflamed. Most likely, this report is a new record on the isolation of Chryseobacterium sp. from the kidney of P. brachypomus. Statement of relevance•Co-infection of Chryseobacterium sp. and A. hydrophila in Piaractus brachypomus caused nephropathy and large scale mortalities.•The record of a new bacterial disease Chryseobacterium sp. infection in Indian aquaculture is a serious cause for concern.

Molecular characterization and pathogenicity of a virulent Acinetobacter baumannii associated with mortality of farmed Indian Major Carp Labeo rohita (Hamilton 1822)

Indian Major Carp Labeo rohita (Ham.) is the most preferred cultivable fish species under freshwater aquaculture in India. The present study was conducted to characterize the bacteria at molecular level and to understand its pathogenicity associated with mortality of farmed rohu, Labeo rohita. Diseased fish samples were collected from cultured ponds of Nadia, West Bengal, India for the isolation of the pathogen. The 16S rRNA gene sequence of the bacteria revealed that the isolate was 100% identical with Acinetobacter baumannii (NCBI Accession Number KT156752). Intraperitoneal injection with the isolate at the level of 2.1×108cells/ml in fish causes mortality. The challenged fish had loss of mucus and reddish lesion near the pectoral fin, however there was no sign in the gill. The histology of experimentally challenged Labeo rohita showed hemorrhages and shrunken glomeruli with densely basophilic nuclei in kidney whereas degenerated hepatic tissue and increased hepatocyte vacuolation in liver. This study underlines the first time involvement of Acinetobacter baumannii in the disease outbreak of Labeo rohita. The pathology and pathogenesis studies of this emerging pathogen in cultured carps would help in management of the outbreak of disease in aquaculture.

Aquaculture in India, the Second Largest Producer of Farmed Fish

Aquaculture in India, the Second Largest Producer of Farmed Fish

Dietary Supplementation of Fermented Fish Silage in Broiler Japanese Quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica): A Review

With increasing demand and competition in the poultry sector, quail farming is making an impressive debut among the poultry farmers. A remarkable increase in the population of quails has been noticed in India according to livestock census (2012). Further research regarding the cost-effective ways of quail feeding and rearing is the need of the hour to explore this unexplored area of Indian poultry farming. India accounts for 5.68% of the global fish production. Indian Aquaculture is extremely promising and has grown over around seven fold in the last two decades with freshwater aquaculture contributing over 95% of the total aquaculture production. It is estimated that only 40% of the raw material is utilized for human consumption. The remaining 60% of the raw material is considered processing waste and can be utilized for low-valued products. Fish silage is a liquid product produced from the whole fish or parts of it, to which acids, enzymes or, lactic acid producing bacteria are added, with the liquefaction of the mass provoked by the action of enzymes from the fish. After collection and processing of fish wastes, fermented fish silage (FFS) is prepared by adding jaggery to the paste. The decrease in pH below 4.5 during fermentation is responsible for preservation of the product. The dry matter, crude protein, crude fat and total ash percentage of fermented fish silage estimated are 40.55±0.52%, 15.56±0.53%, 33±2.26%, 4±0.34% and 25.39+0.29 %, 38.97+1.46 %, 38.75+1.06 %, 4.56 ± 0.23% respectively.The various studies regarding the use of fish silage based diet in poultry concludes that the supplementation of fermented fish silage is adequate enough to meet the normal protein requirements of different poultry birds and the body weight, body weight gain, feed conversion ratio and percentage of carcass yield did not show any significant difference by the dietary inclusion of fish silage compared to control diet in most of the commercial poultry birds. The balanced protein, fat and mineral content of the fish silage could be made use of in preparation of poultry, fish and livestock feed as well as fertilizer. Therefore supplementation of fish silage in the poultry ration would not only increase the revenue without compromising the nutritional status, feed efficiency, growth, serum biochemistry and overall performance of birds but this practice would also help the fish industry to increase their income and provide a safe methodology to mitigate the pollution generated from fish waste.

Observation on Forces and Motions of a Mariculture Cage From Model and Prototype Experiments

In India, several experimental coastal aquaculture cages have been installed on sites along the Indian coast. Many of them have been commercially successful, while some have faced technical difficulties. The construction of the Indian coastal aquaculture cage is based on ad hoc designs adopted from other countries. The performance of the coastal aquaculture cage shows that there is a need for development of a cage design with a location-specific mooring system to withstand local wave conditions for a longer period in different coastal zones of the country. This requires that designs of the cages suiting Indian conditions be made based on sound engineering principles. To design the cage, the current- and wave-induced tensions in the mooring chain and net twine and the cage motions need to be estimated. In this study, a model cage was fabricated and tested in a towing tank under different waves and towing conditions. The tension on the mooring chain was measured during model experiments along with the towing speed and wave parameter. A prototype coastal aquaculture cage with single point mooring near the coast of Visakhapatnam in South East India was identified for measurement of forces and motions. On the prototype cage, measurements of cage motions, tensions on mooring chain, and net twine and cage orientation were carried out. Characteristics of the cage response, observed in model and prototype experiments, are presented in this paper. The model cage is not a geometrically scaled down version of the prototype cage. The diameter/depth ratios of the model and the prototype are different. The mooring pattern and net twine of the model cage is the same as that of the prototype. The data presented in this paper could be used as a reference for validating the numerical model for simulating the cage forces and motions under wave and current loads.

Advancements in diagnosis and control measures of viral pathogens in aquaculture: an Indian perspective

Indian aquaculture industry was growing steadily and showed a sixfold growth in production over the last two decades. However, the overall development of aquaculture in India did not reach the levels as projected due to frequent disease outbreaks and related issues. Shrimp and fish are predominantly affected by viruses including white spot syndrome virus, monodon baculovirus, hepatopancreatic parvovirus, viral nervous necrosis, white tail disease, and hypodermal and hematopoietic necrosis baculovirus that cause outbreaks across the countries. Owing to these viral pathogens, the production of aquaculture fishes and crustaceans has dramatically been dropped. There are no specific measures to control these viral infections since it causes mortality at all life stages of cultured aquatic organisms. Early detection of the diseases may be beneficial to prevent the spreading and mass mortality. In India, the Central Institute of Brackish Water Aquaculture has developed a non-invasive diagnostic tool for early and precise detection of monodon baculovirus infection in Indian tiger shrimp Penaeus monodon using SYBR Green-based real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique. More than twenty-five cell lines from freshwater, brackish water, and marine fish have been developed, characterized, and stored in C. Abdul Hakeem College for research and viral diagnosis. This review reveals the distinctive tools that are being used in aquaculture for the detection of pathogens and preventive measures. Advanced molecular methods such as nested PCR and SYBR Green-based real-time PCR are found to be sensitive and effective for the quantitation. Simple and inexpensive methods such as microscopic evaluation and histopathological analysis detects the progression of the disease. These assays can be used as a diagnostic method for emerging diseases in addition to avoid forthcoming of another.

Comparative study on characteristics and in vitro fibril formation ability of acid and pepsin soluble collagen from the skin of catla (Catla catla) and rohu (Labeo rohita)

Catla (Catla catla) and Rohu (Labeo rohita) are the major carp fish produced by freshwater aquaculture in India. Processing of these carp fish generates potentially large quantities of by-products (waste) from non-edible fish parts by fish-processing factories and fish shops. The paper focuses on the extraction of the acid soluble collagen (ASC) and pepsin soluble collagen (PSC) from the skin of carp fish and subsequently their characteristics and in vitro fibril-forming ability. The extracted collagens are characterized as type I collagen based on the electrophoretic pattern. The denaturation temperature for all the collagens extracted was found to be 30.69–35.19°C by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis. The extracted collagens exhibited higher solubility at low concentration of NaCl (0–0.4M). All the ASC and PSC displayed different degrees of fibril-forming abilities and the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis confirmed their well-defined fibril morphologies. The degree of collagen fibril formation was significantly (p≤0.05) higher (78%) in rohu skin collagen than catla skin collagen (36%). In general, the characteristics of two carp skin collagens were unique as evidenced by the electrophoretic, DSC, SEM and fibril-forming patterns. Overall, the results indicated the feasibility of using the carp skin as a good alternative source of realistic high-quality collagen.

Technical Efficiency of Shrimp Farming in Andhra Pradesh: Estimation and Implications

Shrimp farming is a key subsector of Indian aquaculture which has seen a remarkable growth in the past decades and has a tremendous potential in future. The present study analyzes the technical efficiency of the shrimp famers of East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh using the Stochastic Production Frontier Function with the technical inefficiency effects. The estimates mean technical efficiency of the farmers was 93.06 % which means the farmers operate at 6.94 % below the production frontier production. Age, education, experience of the farmers and their membership status in farmers associations and societies were found to have a significant effect on the technical efficiency. The variation in the technical efficiency also confirms the differences in the extent of adoption of the shrimp farming technology among the farmers. Proper technical training opportunities could facilitate the farmers to adopt the improved technologies to increase their farm productivity.

An Overview of Fisheries and Aquaculture in India

Fisheries play an important role in the world economy and food for million. All over the world, more than 30 million fishers and fish farmers and their families gain their livelihoods from fisheries. Globally, fish provide about 16 per cent of the animal protein consumed by humans, and are a valuable source of minerals and essential fatty acids. Although, wild fishery resources are in practice finite for production purposes. If they are overexploited, production declines and may even collapse. What made possible the continuing rise in overall fish production is the rapid growth of aquaculture. Global fish production has grown steadily in the last five decades with food fish supply increasing at an average annual rate of 3.2 per cent, outpacing world population growth at 1.6 per cent. Capture fisheries and aquaculture supplied the world with about 158.0 million tonnes of fish in 2012 of which 91.3 million tonnes was from capture fishery and 66.6 million tonnes from aquaculture. In the same year, total production of India was 8.66 million tonnes which included 3.372 million tonnes from capture fishery and 5.294 million tonnes from aquaculture and noticed increase at an annual rate of 5.2 percent in compare to population growth rate at 1.3%. India's export earnings increased rapidly and almost doubled within 6 years i.e. 8363.52 crores in 2006–07 to 16597.23 crores in 2011–12. In this study, statistical analysis of fish production was done against the world to estimate its growth in compare to world.

Association of Aeromonas salmonicida subsp. achromogenes in the haemorrhagic blister of cultured carp Cyprinus carpio in West Bengal, India

ObjectiveTo study the association of Aeromonas salmonicida subsp. achromogenes in the haemorrhagic blister of cultured exotic carp Cyprinus carpio in West Bengal, India, its cellular fatty acid composition and antibiotic sensitivity. MethodsThe phenotypic characterization and antibiotic sensitivity of bacterial flora of diseased fish were performed. The whole cellular fatty acid composition of Aeromonas salmonicida (A. salmonicida) was determined by MIS Sherlock automatic identification system. ResultsAeromonas hydrophila, A. salmonicida and Pseudomonas alcaligenes were isolated from the haemorrhagic blister. The fatty acid methyl esters pattern confirmed the A. salmonicida strain as A. salmonicida subsp. achromogenes. Unsaturated fatty acid 16:1 w7c/16:1 w6c (39.09%), saturated fatty acid 16:0 (26.84%) and the mono-unsaturated fatty acids 18:1 w7c (8.89%) and 16:1 iso I/14:0 3OH (8.49%) were the most common fatty acids, which accounted for 83.31% of the total fatty acids. A. salmonicida subsp. achromogenes was highly susceptible to broad spectrum antibiotics such as chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, co-trimoxazole, gentamycin, nitrofurantoin and oxytetracycline. ConclusionsThe finding on the presence of A. salmonicida in carps necessitates molecular level study on establishing the prevalence of this bacterium in Indian aquaculture systems especially on its free-living viable but non-culturable state.

Gauging the Market and Non-Market Forces in Indian Aquaculture Industry for a Strategic Position in Fish Vaccines Market

Indian aquaculture segment has become a growth engine for the agriculture sector and is postulated to be one of the key sources of food-protein supporting the growing Indian population. Significant potential for new fish vaccine business was demonstrated previously using market and sales potential assessments; however, in addition to the overall market attractiveness, estimating the market and non-market forces in an industry is vital to ensure profitability in a new business. Therefore, this research directed attention to gauging the forces using Porter’s five market forces (2008) and Prasad’s (2011) non-market forces (national culture and history) framework together with measuring the benefits of complementors. Each of the forces was measured and key drivers within each force were identified. A base case revenue scenario was built on forecasts and the impact of the major forces was tied to the income statement to determine sensitivity of the revenue forecasts. The results suggest that the buyer power and the substitute power are the major competitive forces. The power of complementor products was also found significant and an entrant could counter the predicted losses in profitability due to influences of these market and non-market forces by providing product-product bundles thus reaping considerable improvements in net present value (NPV) and internal rate of returns (IRR) on investments. The NPV from this analysis thus yielded a range between $0.97 and $7.5 million with an IRR ranging between 29.9% and 35.8% depending on the variables considered in the sensitivity analysis. Therefore, to realize profit potential and many other advantages, the entrant may choose a strategy of reaching the customer with a solution package either by producing complementors internally or by joining hands with strategic partners in the industry.

Impact of Formulated Protein Diets on Growth of the Indian Major Carp, Labeo rohita (Hamilton)

Fresh water aquaculture in India is mainly carp-based and accounts for a considerable proportion of total aquaculture production. Feeding constitutes a major factor in fish culture since the fish obtain the maximum nutritional requirement through the food they consume. Protein forms one of the main components of fish feed and hence formulation of feeds that contain high amount of protein using cost-effective natural ingredients is very essential to achieve efficient production from fish culture. Labeo rohita is an extensively studied fish and contributes to a considerable proportion of fish production in India. In the present investigation, four different kinds of fish feed (using groundnut cake, azolla, rice bran and tapioca powder) were formulated with varying protein concentrations (30%, 35%, 40% and 45%) and given to L. rohita to assess the impact of the protein diet on its growth and bioenergetic parameters. The fish were fed with the formulated feed at a rate of 4% of their body weight for a period of 60 days. It was observed that the fish fed with formulated feed containing 40% protein content showed better growth results and improvement in bioenergetic parameters, compared to the other three feeds.

Koi Herpes Virus: A Review and Risk Assessment of Indian Aquaculture

Common carp (Cyprinus carpio) is a widely cultivated freshwater fish for human consumption, while koi carp, is a farmed colored sub species of common carp used for ornamental purposes. Since 1998, both common carp and koi carp are severely affected by a viral disease called as Koi herpes virus disease (KHVD). This disease is caused by Koi herpes virus (KHV), also known as cyprinid herpes virus-3. The virus causes interstitial nephritis and gill necrosis in carps, so it is also termed as carp interstitial nephritis and gill necrosis virus. KHV is a double stranded icosahedral DNA virus belonging to family Alloherpesviridae, with a genome size of 295kbp, larger than any member of Herpesviridae. The viral genome encodes 156 potential protein coding open reading frames. Each virion consists of forty structural proteins, which are classified as capsid (3), envelope (13), tegument (2) and unclassified (22) structural proteins. Diagnosis of KHVD is mainly based on detection of viral DNA by polymerase chain reaction amplification using specific primers or loop mediated isothermal amplification. Temperature dependent latent infection is unique to KHV; and carrier fish are often not detected, thereby possibly resulting in spread of this pathogen to newer areas. The disease is now known to occur in, or has been recorded from at least 26different countries of the world. Fortunately, KHVD has not been reported from India or from Indian major carps. To monitor the disease status of the country, a total of 254 fish samples collected from different parts of India were screened by PCR for the presence of KHV. None of the tested samples were found to be positive for KHV. These results demonstrate that tested samples from different parts of India were apparently free from KHV. Preliminary risk assessment of KHV suggest that in the event of unrestricted importation of koi carps into our country, there is a higher probability of risk to aquaculture as compared to natural waters. So there is strong need to develop diagnostic capabilities and launch surveillance programmes for KHV in India.

Composition, functional properties and antioxidative activity of hydrolysates prepared from the frame meat of Striped catfish (<i>Pangasianodon hypophthalmus</i>)

The Striped catfish Pangasianodon hypophthalmus has increasing importance as a candidate for aquaculture in India. It is an abundant and underutilized resource that can be used as a unique protein source to make Fish Protein Hydrolysates. The objective of the present study was to prepare protein hydrolysates from its frame meat using the neutral proteases Papain and Bromelain at 0.5% (w/w) concentration to compare the composition, functional and antioxidative properties. The yield and degree of hydrolysis did not differ significantly between the two proteases. Hydrolysate prepared with papain had a higher crude protein and ash content. They differed significantly in foaming, emulsification and peptide solubility, with papain better in foaming capacity and peptide solubility, and bromelain better in emulsification capacity. Both exhibited almost 90% radical scavenging capacity, and differed significantly in reducing capacity. Thus hydrolysates produced with these proteases vary in their nutritional, functional and antioxidant characteristics.Keywords: degree of hydrolysis, DPPH radical-scavenging capacity, reducing capacity, metal-chelating capacity, foaming capacity, emulsifying capacity, oil-binding capacity.

Efficiency of Shelters in Reducing Cannibalism among Juveniles of the Marine Blue Swimmer Crab, Portunus pelagicus

Portunus pelagicus is an important crab species for aquaculture in India. Cannibalism during the megalopa and juvenile stages is a major constraint in standardizing the hatchery technology of this species. The present study evaluates the efficiency of various types of shelters in curbing cannibalism in juvenile P. pelagicus. Larvae from eggs of berried females collected from the wild were reared to first crab instars under controlled conditions. They were stocked in 200-l tanks at a density of 10/l with shelters of different materials: (a) nylon mesh netting, (b) seagrass, (c) seagrass and sand, and (d) without any material as shelter. At the end of the experimental period (15 days), the mean survival rates of the juveniles in each treatment were subjected to one-way ANOVA and pairs that significantly differed (p<0.01) were traced using Fisher’s LSD. The seagrass and sand treatment produced the highest mean survival (88±3%); the lowest (24.67±2.52%) was obtained in the treatment where no material was provided as a shelter.

Limited evidence for genetic variation for resistance to the white spot syndrome virus in Indian populations of Penaeus monodon

There has been a highly detrimental impact of the white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) on black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon) aquaculture in India. Currently, no cost-effective measures are available for controlling the disease. One alternative is to improve WSSV resistance through a selective breeding programme for disease-resistant shrimp, provided that genetic variation exists for this trait. The aim of this study was to evaluate the evidence for genetic variation in resistance to WSSV in P. monodon sourced from Indian populations. Post-larval shrimp (n=1950) from 54 full-sibling families were challenged with WSSV using WSSV-infected mince meat. The heritability was estimated using four different statistical models fitted to the resulting time to death data, including two linear models and two Weibull proportional hazard frailty models. None of the estimated heritabilities were significantly different from zero. We suggest three possible explanations for these results: there actually is very little variation between P. monodon in WSSV resistance and all individuals are highly susceptible to the disease; there is genetic variation in resistance to WSSV in P. monodon but we did not find it in our experiment because the level of challenge in the experiment was too high to allow genetic differences to be expressed; the variation is due to mutations conferring resistance, which are at a low frequency in the population, and we did not sample a broad enough genetic base to capture these mutations.