Una, August 9: Himachal Pradesh has taken a significant step towards reducing its dependence on other states for fish seed after scientists and fisheries officials successfully controlled the long-standing “air bubble” problem at the Deoli Carp Farm in Una.
The disease had been severely affecting the breeding of Indian major carp, destroying nearly 95–98% of the spawn and limiting the production of healthy fingerlings. The breakthrough has now opened the possibility of producing quality fish seed locally for stocking the state’s major reservoirs and meeting the requirements of fish farmers.
Assistant Director of Fisheries, Una, Vivek Sharma said the department has set a target of producing around one crore spawn and 8–10 lakh healthy fingerlings this year. The fingerlings will subsequently be used for fish culture in major reservoirs, including Govind Sagar and Pong Dam.
The development comes as the state government, under Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, seeks to strengthen the blue economy and increase the income of farmers and fishermen by making better use of local resources.
Scientific intervention helped overcome the problem
According to Sharma, the Fisheries Department had entered into a technical collaboration with the Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture (CIFA), Bhubaneswar, to address the persistent breeding problem.
Following recommendations from CIFA scientists, the department introduced specialised brood feed and provided technical training to its officials in modern breeding practices and water-quality management.
However, the problem continued despite these interventions. This year, officials made further changes in water-quality parameters after studying the specific conditions at Deoli. These measures eventually resulted in complete control of the air-bubble problem and improved survival of spawn.
Earlier, most spawn failed to survive
For years, the air-bubble problem had remained a major bottleneck in the production of Indian major carp at the farm. After spawning, the physiological condition led to the destruction of as much as 95–98% of the spawn.
The high mortality meant that even large-scale spawning did not translate into adequate production of healthy fingerlings.
With the problem now controlled, the department plans to convert the technical breakthrough into large-scale fish-seed production.
Fish seed to reach Govind Sagar, Pong Dam
The Deoli Carp Farm breeds several varieties, including common carp, Amur carp, koi carp and Indian major carp (IMC). Common carp and Amur carp have been successfully bred at the farm for the past 10–15 years.
The farm normally produces around two crore spawn annually, which is supplied to local fish farmers while a portion is utilised for stocking major reservoirs.
The healthy fingerlings produced under this year’s programme will be stocked in reservoirs such as Govind Sagar and Pong Dam. Officials expect this to strengthen fish production and eventually improve the catch and income of fishermen dependent on these water bodies.
Move to reduce dependence on outside states
Himachal has traditionally depended on other states to meet part of its fish-seed requirements, particularly for stocking large reservoirs. Procuring seed from outside has also added to the financial burden on the government.
The successful production of healthy seed at Deoli is expected to reduce this dependence and allow the state to make greater use of its own fisheries infrastructure.
Officials said the immediate focus is now on maintaining the successful control of the air-bubble problem and achieving the target of 8–10 lakh healthy fingerlings.
The Deoli initiative is being seen as an important step towards strengthening Himachal Pradesh’s local fish-seed production chain, with the potential to benefit fish farmers, reservoir fisheries and the livelihoods of fishermen across the state.
