Kochi, Jun 1 (PTI) In an initiative to encourage the farming community grow seabass as an alternative to shrimp acquaculture, a demonstration farm of the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Aquaculture at Karaikal has produced 15 tons of the fish from just one hectare.

This could also help them earn lucrative prices from its huge demand in domestic and foreign markets.

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RGCA works under the Marine Products Export Development Authority.

The demonstration farm of MPEDA-RGCA at Karaikal raised 15 tons of fish with an average weight of 1.2 kg to 1.5 kg from stocked seabass seeds of 1.5 cm to 2 cm size in one hectare area, in just 10 months, an MPEDA statement said here on Monday.

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The fish were fed artificial floating pellet feeds and the Food Conversion Ratio (FCR) was found to be extremely encouraging at 1:1.8, it said.

The production cost was Rs 300 per kg and the fish were sold at farm gate price of Rs 420 to 450 per kg.

A profit of Rs 17 lakh was earned from the seabass fish produced from 1 hectare demonstration farm area, it said.

Enthused by the results of the demonstration farm, MPEDA Chairman K S Srinivas said "Seabass is a BOSS of diversified aquaculture. It will induce aquaculture farmers to diversify their cultivation choices, especially as an alternative to shrimp farming."

The harvest of seabass was initiated through a function held at the demonstration farm, and was attended by the MPEDA chairman, who is also president of RGCA.

RGCA, headquartered at Sirkali in Tamil Nadu, functions as the R&D arm of MPEDA and is involved in high-end research on diversified species for aquaculture like seabass, mud crab, GIFT, pompano and cobia.

Seabass (Lates calcarifer) is traditionally produced as plate fish for the restaurant trade, but is now largely being sold as fillets for direct sales to the major supermarkets.

"It is an ideal fish for farming in freshwater, brackish water and saline waters, and can be cultured in open pond as well as in cages.

It has white flaky flesh and milk flavour, is highly preferred by consumers and fetches around Rs 400 to 500 per kg in local markets.

It has good demand and value in both domestic and export markets", the statement said.

RGCA operates a three million fry/fingerlings capacity state-of the art seabass hatchery at Thoduvai in Tamil Nadus Nagapattinam district and this is the first of its kind in India.

So far 18 million seeds have been produced and supplied to the farming community across the country as an alternative species for shrimp aquaculture, it said.

For farmers in the east coast, especially in Kerala, Seabass seeds from the RGCA hatchery in Tamil Nadu are brought and reared to fingerlings in MPEDA-RGCA Multispecies Aquaculture complex (MAC), Vallarpadam and supplied to the farming community at affordable cost.

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