ICAR-Central Coastal Agricultural Research Institute (ICAR-CCARI) Goa organised a training programme on ‘Ornamental Fish Culture’ for women belonging to the Laxmi Ravalnath Self-help Group (SHG) with 14 participants; at Assonora, North Goa.
The one-day training, held on August 2, 2023, was funded by NABARD and aimed to provide knowledge on various ornamental fish culture systems and their management.
The programme commenced with an inaugural address by Dr. Parveen Kumar, the Director of ICAR-CCARI. He emphasised the potential of ornamental fish culture as a means of generating income and supporting livelihoods, highlighting its contribution to the country’s overall growth. Further he assured the trainees of full technical support from the institute for fisheries development activities in Goa.
Dr. Shirish Narnaware, the Section In-Charge of Animal and Fishery Science, emphasised the pivotal role of local communities and self-help groups in promoting ornamental fish culture as a viable income source.
Trivesh Mayekar, Scientist coordinator of the training, discussed the scope and national status of ornamental fish culture and stressed the need for its promotion in Goa. He also mentioned that capacity-building and demonstration programmes would be implemented to encourage ornamental fish culture among self-help groups.
Throughout the training, expert lectures covered a range of topics, including the status and scope of ornamental fish farming, commercially important ornamental fish species, breeding methods, disease and feeding management, common commercial ornamental fish species in Goa, and entrepreneurship development through ornamental fish culture.
The programme also featured two invited lectures from subject experts in ornamental fish culture, Dr. Hrishikesh Pawar and Sahil Thakur. Practical demonstrations on tank fabrication, setup, and maintenance, aquascaping, ornamental fish feed preparation, larval rearing, ornamental fish breeding, and fish spa unit setup were conducted. Additionally, the trainees had the opportunity to visit the Institute Aquarium and Aquaculture farm for exposure to real-life practices.During the valedictory function, the trainees provided positive feedback on the programme and the knowledge they gained.
The training was coordinated by Trivesh Suresh Mayeker, Scientist at ICAR-CCARI, Goa, and supported by B. Bjoy Borges and Sameer K. Gaonkar. Technical assistance during the training was provided by Pranjali N. Wadekar.
