Vet Varsity organises orientation workshop on intensive aquaculture

Ludhiana, July 7, 2023: An orientation workshop on intensive aquaculture technologies i.e., Recirculatory aquaculture system (RAS) and Biofloc based Aquaculture (BFA), was organised by College of Fisheries (COF), Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University for capacity building of officials of Department of Fisheries (DOF), Punjab and aspiring farmers/youth of the State. 25 Fisheries Officers/Senior Fisheries Officers and 17 farmers/entrepreneurs attended the workshop.

Dr. Meera D. Ansal, Dean COF informed that intensive aquaculture systems like RAS and BFA gained popularity among progressive farmers/youth of Punjab in the recent past. She apprised that a ‘Capacity Building Resource Centre for Intensive Aquaculture Technologies’ has been established at vet varsity under Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) of DOF, Government of India to cater the training needs of stakeholders of the region. As compared to the traditional outdoor pond aquaculture systems, water and land requirement for these indoor intensive culture systems is only 10-15%; effluent discharge is minimized; and productivity could be enhanced up to 20 times under climatic conditions of the state, she added. These technologies offer a prospective solution to land and water use efficiency in context to climate change, environmental impact, quality assurance and productivity boost, she added.

Dr. Inderjeet Singh, Vice Chancellor inaugurated the workshop. In the inaugural address he said that indoor climate smart high yielding aquaculture technologies like RAS and BFA are essentially required to address environmental, food security and food safety concerns. The capacity building resource center established in the university is an asset for the region, which is open for entrepreneurially aspirant youth, farmers and fisheries officials/professionals from any part of the country, he added.

Dr. Vaneet Inder Kaur, Principal Scientist (Fisheries) and coordinator informed that technical sessions with practical demonstration on RAS and BFA were conducted by Dr. S. N. Datta and Dr. Amit Mandal, respectively. She said that regular workshops/training programs will be conducted for successful replication of these new technologies as per climatic conditions and availability of suitable fish species, through an integrated approach.