Public sector Hathazari Peking Power Plant (HPPP) was fined of Tk.10 lakh for alleged pollution of the water of Halda River recently through dumping effluents of the plant. Department of Environment, Chittagong announced this penalty to HPPP for polluting and destroying the fish spawn in the only fish breeding centre of South Asia in current season .

Plans are afoot to increase the production of inland fish in the State to three lakh tonnes a year.

Presently, of the total 5.97 lakh tonnes of fish production in Tamil Nadu, inland fish production is only 1.72 lakh tonnes and marine fisheries is 4.25 lakh tonnes. To make available more fish seeds and advanced fingerlings from 7 cm to 10 cm stage, the capacity of fish hatcheries and fish-rearing centres across the State is being enhanced and additional infrastructure created. Catla, Rohu, Mrigal varieties of Indian major carp (kendai meen) and common carp are bred and reared at these centres.

Clocking a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 11.48 per cent in 2004-05 and 2010-11, Karnataka has emerged as the leading coastal State with the highest growth in fish production, according to a research and analysis released by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM).

Goa, on the other hand has registered a negative growth rate of fish production as the fish production has slipped from 9.9 lakh tonnes in 2004-05 to 94,000 tonnes now because of over-exploitation of fishery resources, highlights the ASSOCHAM analysis.

If Americans ever eat genetically engineered fast-growing salmon, it might be because of a Soviet biologist turned oligarch turned government minister turned fish farming entrepreneur.

That man, Kakha Bendukidze, holds the key to either extinction or survival for AquaBounty Technologies, the American company that is hoping for federal approval of a type of salmon that would be the first genetically engineered animal in the human food supply.

Shillong: With an aim to enhance fish seed production and impart knowledge to the farmers of the state on modern technology of aquaculture especially breeding technique, the Fisheries department has come up with a full- fledged research centre at Ri Bhoi which will be inaugurated on Thursday.

The first of its kind in the State, the Mawpun farm-cum-research centre at Ri Bhoi is expected to enhance the fish seed production with a target of about 25 lakh fries. It will be a demonstration centre to all fish farmers for breeding, feeding and the like.

The Philippine fisheries chief on Sunday said he had ordered a study into a foreign species called the ‘knife fish’ that was posing a threat to the local fishing industry at the country’s largest lake.
The knife-shaped fish are reported to be multiplying in Laguna Lake where they are displacing the native species, said Asis Perez, head of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.
‘It is carnivorous. It will compete with our existing natural fish. We have yet to get a full appreciation of the damage caused by this fish,’ he told AFP.

SIVASAGAR: At a time when indiscriminate fishing has caused rapid depletion of the local varieties in the region, a section of unscrupulous traders are thriving in Sivasagar sub-division and other parts of Sivasagar district.

Fish production in the district has depleted to such an extent that the people have not been able to meet the minimum requirement, not to speak of export. The district has to procure huge quantities of fish from outside to meet the local demand. The reason behind the large-scale depletion is not hard to fathom.

The fisheries sector in Jharkhand has been witnessing a phenomenal growth after Jharkhand became a separate state bifurcating Bihar in 2000. When in 2001-02, the production of fish in the state had been only 14,000 metric tones. In 2010-11, eighty government fish firms produced 71,886 metric tones.

The fish seed production was increased from 32 crore to 67 crore, along with construction of 116 new fish seed hatcheries in private and government sector. The department of fisheries aims to produce fish of 1,40,000 tones during 12th plan.

KOCHI: Ending a long delay in setting up the bridge cum regulator project across the Periyar River at Pathalam and Purappillikkavu, the irrigation department has finally fixed the dates for opening tenders.

The prequalification tenders for setting up the Pathalam bridge will be opened on Monday. At a time when fish deaths is becoming a frequent phenomenon in Periyar, the ambitious project which could have been a permanent solution in containing the issue of fish deaths, has been facing an inordinate delay.

All are aware of the tragic loss of biodiversity that this planet is current going through in various ecosystems. However, a new National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) report shows that when good policies are in place, natural ecosystems can sustain themselves and thrive. NOAA has released its annual report, stating that a record six fish populations have been rebuilt to healthy levels in 2011.