WWW.WAS.ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • DECEMBER 2024 61 environmental parameters, including water depth, wind patterns, wave height, and current velocity, must be evaluated to determine the most suitable mariculture technique for a chosen location (Chor et al. 2022, Turner 2000). Ensuring optimal water quality and adherence to environmental regulations are vital to prevent stress conditions for cultivated fish. During the site selection process, certain areas should be avoided. These include active fishing zones, locations near harbors or fish landing centers, navigation channels, marine protected areas, zones designated for specific purposes (e.g. coral reefs or mangroves), regions covered by coastal management plans, points where industrial effluents are discharged, areas affected by sewage pollution, zones with heavy freshwater discharge from rivers, locations with underwater pipelines or telecom cables, areas used for explosives dumping, and regions containing historic shipwrecks (Prema 2009, 2013). Figures 1 and 2 outline key environmental parameters and considerations that should guide site selection for mariculture operations. Optimizing India's Coastal Biodiversity: Pioneering Sustainable Mariculture Initiatives India's coastal region boasts extraordinary biodiversity, acting as a hotspot for a diverse range of marine species, including approximately 2546 species of marine finfish and 55 species of macruran decapods (Venkataraman and Wafar 2005). Despite the nation's extensive coastline and rich biodiversity, the potential for (CONTINUED ON PAGE 62) harnessing these coastal resources for mariculture remains largely untapped. In contrast to brackish water aquaculture, mariculturerelated endeavors have not received due attention in India. Nevertheless, institutions like the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) and the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) are actively driving efforts to revolutionize India's mariculture technology. Given India's abundance of finfish, molluscs, and crustaceans, it is impractical to engage in mariculture for all species. Therefore, a critical step in transforming the mariculture sector is developing a priority-based list of species suitable for mariculture purposes. With this goal in mind, CMFRI organized a workshop in November 2013 at the Mandapam Regional Centre in Tamil Nadu. The workshop's primary objectives included highlighting the conservation importance of finfish and shellfish species, promoting mariculture for human consumption, region-specific conservation efforts, fostering ornamental mariculture, addressing mariculture-related challenges, facilitating research and development, and identifying research gaps in species with established culture protocols. The central theme of this collaborative effort was prioritizing species for sustainable mariculture practices (Ranjan et al. 2017). Table 1 provides a comprehensive overview of the criteria used to select cultivable fish species. These criteria encompass various key aspects, including economic value, biological characteristics, suitability for culture, status in the wild, availability of information, TABLE 1. Criteria for the selection of cultivable fish species. Key aspects Characteristics 1. Economic value • Domestic market value • International market value • Regional market value and preference (for region-specific species) 2. Biology • Size at first maturity • Feeding habits (omnivore, carnivore or herbivore and amenability to utilize pelleted feed) • Growth rate • Disease resistance/hardiness • Salinity and temperature tolerance • Colour and appearance (for ornamental fish) 3. Adaptability • Suitability for farming • Ease of captive brood stock development and breeding • Ease of larval rearing • Ease of nursery and grow-out rearing • Ease of handling • Compatibility with other species • Compatibility with other species in aquaria (for ornamental fish) 4. Status in the wild • Availability in commercial catches • Distribution and abundance • Brood stock availability 5. Information • Data availability on biology, life-history traits, breeding and culture 6. Economics of culture • Cost-effectiveness
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjExNDY=