E-Paper
Vet varsity organises workshop on intensive aquaculture technologies
The workshop aimed to familiarise officials from the department of fisheries (DOF), Punjab, as well as aspiring farmers and youth with recirculatory aquaculture system (RAS) and biofloc based aquaculture (BFA)
The College of Fisheries (COF) at Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University organised an orientation workshop on intensive aquaculture technologies. The workshop aimed to familiarise officials from the department of fisheries (DOF), Punjab, as well as aspiring farmers and youth with recirculatory aquaculture system (RAS) and biofloc based aquaculture (BFA).
Meera D. Ansal, dean of COF, highlighted the growing popularity of intensive aquaculture systems like RAS and BFA among progressive farmers and youth in Punjab. She emphasized that the establishment of a “Capacity building resource centre for intensive aquaculture technologies” at the vet varsity, under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) Government of India, is aimed at addressing the training needs of stakeholders in the region.
“These indoor intensive culture systems require only 10-15% of the water and land compared to traditional outdoor pond aquaculture systems. Additionally, they minimize effluent discharge and offer the potential to enhance productivity up to 20 times under the state’s climatic conditions. These technologies present prospective solutions to land and water use efficiency, climate change, environmental impact, quality assurance, and productivity boost” she added.
The workshop was inaugurated by Inderjeet Singh, vice chancellor of the university. He emphasised the importance of adopting indoor climate-smart, high-yielding aquaculture technologies such as RAS and BFA to address environmental, food security, and food safety concerns. He expressed his confidence in the newly established capacity building resource center, which is open to entrepreneurial youth, farmers, and fisheries officials from across the country.
Vaneet Inder Kaur, principal scientist (fisheries) and coordinator of the workshop, provided technical sessions on RAS and BFA, which included practical demonstrations conducted by SN Datta and Amit Mandal.
