Standardizing Pen Culture of Small Indigenous Fish Labeo bata in the Tropical Floodplain Wetland of the North Eastern Region, India: A Step towards Sustainable Fisheries Management

Simanku Borah (), Basanta Kumar Das (), Birendra Kumar Bhattacharjya, Gunjan Karnatak, Anil Kumar Yadav, Arun Pandit, Pranaya Kumar Parida, Aparna Roy, Amiya Kumar Sahoo, Bijay Kumar Behera, Archan Kanti Das, Nilmani Rabha and Priyanka Priyadarshini
Additional contact information
Simanku Borah: ICAR—Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute Regional Centre, Guwahati 781006, India
Basanta Kumar Das: ICAR—Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute, Kolkata 700120, India
Birendra Kumar Bhattacharjya: ICAR—Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute Regional Centre, Guwahati 781006, India
Gunjan Karnatak: ICAR—Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute, Kolkata 700120, India
Anil Kumar Yadav: ICAR—Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute Regional Centre, Guwahati 781006, India
Arun Pandit: ICAR—Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute, Kolkata 700120, India
Pranaya Kumar Parida: ICAR—Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute, Kolkata 700120, India
Aparna Roy: ICAR—Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute, Kolkata 700120, India
Amiya Kumar Sahoo: ICAR—Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute, Kolkata 700120, India
Bijay Kumar Behera: ICAR—Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute, Kolkata 700120, India
Archan Kanti Das: ICAR—Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute, Kolkata 700120, India
Nilmani Rabha: ICAR—Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute Regional Centre, Guwahati 781006, India
Priyanka Priyadarshini: ICAR—Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute Regional Centre, Guwahati 781006, India

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 5, 1-14

Abstract: Labeo bata fry were reared in high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pens at different stocking densities to determine growth, survival, feed utilization efficiency and economics in Borkona beel, Barpeta, Assam. Pens (500 m 2 each) were stocked with fry at four stocking densities, 3 (SD3), 5 (SD5), 7 (SD7) and 9 (SD9) no. m −2 in triplicates. Feeding was performed twice a day at a rate of 3–5% body weight with floating pelleted feed containing 28% crude protein. Fish grew from 2.38 ± 0.30 g to 82.78 ± 3.18, 75.94 ± 0.89, 71.94 ± 0.89 and 61.81 ± 3.35 g at stocking densities of 3, 5, 7 and 9 no. m −2 , respectively. Weight gain per cent ranged from 2491.85 ± 140.56 to 3371.33 ± 133.16 and specific growth rate from 1.41 ± 0.02 to 1.55 ± 0.02, both of which decreased with increasing stocking density. The net and gross yields increased with increasing stocking density and were highest at SD9. The benefit-cost ratio was maximum at SD7 (1.42), followed by SD9 (1.41). Post-pen culture, the monthly income of fishers increased by 6.10% (SD3) to 40.50% (SD9). Significant differences ( p > 0.05) in water quality parameters were not observed between treatments (inside pens) and reference site (outside pen at 10 m distance). Weight gain exhibited a significant positive correlation with temperature (r = 0.92; p = 0.029) and alkalinity (r = 0.95; p = 0.014). The present study can provide impetus towards species diversification in pen enclosures, income enhancement of small-scale wetland fishers and sustainable ecosystem-based floodplain wetland fisheries management.

Keywords: floodplain wetland; Labeo bata; pen culture; small-scale fishers; sustainable management (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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