The starting material of modern aquaculture is fish seed. Fish seed sector has developed and refined over the years due to research and entrepreneurial inputs. Still, there are several areas that need attention of policy makers, researchers and farmers. Demand for quality fish seed is strong and never fulfilling to the expectations of the end users due to obvious reasons i.e., they want better quality seed each time they buy. Seed sector is expected to expand enormously and still be profitable in India. Research has added substantial knowledge and efficiency to this sector. Some view this as nominal increment to the existing knowledge. However, it is natural that when the technology becomes easy and easy to handle people forget the R &D efforts that has gone behind that. This paper reviews information relating to: brood stock management, fish seed resources and supply, seed production infrastructure, seed technology, management of seed quality, advanced research, branding and certification.
The main sources of carp seeds (spawn) in India are in hatcheries and almost a negligible amount (<1%) are from natural sources (riverine/bundh). The numbers of carp hatcheries in India are little more than 2000 at present and producing 41450 million fry during 2014. Quantified data on larger size fingerlings and/or yearlings that are being used and recommended for increasing fish production in the grow out phase are not available from each state of India. We are capable of increasing the quantity with the existing carp hatcheries but lagging in producing quality seed. The causes and bottlenecks are many that need to be addressed in a holistic manner. There are nearly 25 fish species used for commercial seed production in hatcheries comprising of carps, catfishes, air breathing fish, barbs, tilapia and freshwater prawns. The supply chain of fish seed is complex and dynamic. Some of the hatchery and seed producers supply the fish seed to growers through a part of complex networks and their supply remains erratic in many parts especially in rural sectors. The gap between demand and supply of quality seeds, by and large, remains a challenge for future growth of this sector. Further, poor growth of hatchery bred seed has been a real concern in fish farming communities. It is reported that the loss due to the poor quality seed is more than 20 % per year. To improve the quality of the stock, the primary strategy has been to exchange the brood stock, but the cumbersome process of transport and subsequent mortality of brood fish has been an impediment. To overcome this, an effective strategy proposed is to cryopreserve the milt of unrelated healthy fish stocks and use in different hatcheries of India.
The R&D effort that has gone into this sector has made the technology of seed production and hatchery management very easy to operate. Several areas that need further attention, if India needs to ensure quality seed of fish are cryobanking, brood banking and larval feed development. The gaps in technology development and adoption have to be cohesive and a single policy framework for whole India for seed sector development is essential.