A significant number of advances have been made in the field of fisheries and aquaculture along with enhancement protocols with the development of some new technologies got introduced in the late sixties. Existence of a number of proven protocols of culture is available, which could be used for enhancing production through horizontal and vertical expansion of technology. A large amount of basic information on new protocols of culture has been accumulated through continued and sustained on-field research program during the last few decades, resulting in their application in commercial production, being carried out in several parts of the world. Among those, Cage and Pen culture are outstanding examples, though such systems of culture have been existed since 18th century, particularly in South-East Asia, China and the Far-East. A number of modifications or changes have been made with the time passing by in relation to the design, fabricating materials, cage frame, mooring devices, anchoring, hapas, installation and operation, together with the preparation of suitable feeds, including extruded ones, have made these technologies capable of being widely adopted in other regions of the world. The present day application of cage culture technology got revived from 1970 onwards in freshwater sector especially in Asian countries viz., China, Indonesia, Thailand and Bangladesh including India. ICAR-CIFRI has gained strong foothold in development and disseminating cage culture technology for raising stocking materials in situ installing low cost cages in reservoirs as well as floodplains with the success story of more than 70% recovery for IMC as well as grass carp and common carp. Now, it is high time to develop cage culture technology for producing table fish or food fish especially for medium and large reservoirs which will address towards the issues like poverty alleviation of the stake holders, increase in water productivity to manifold and prioritizing good quality nutrient supply in a regular manner to the most weaker section of the society as well. Harvesting of fishes in some of the gorgy reservoirs in India is at times very difficult, where water productivity can be fruitfully enhanced through the production of food fish in cages. The success of this technology has been well documented in China, Thailand, Indonesia, even in Bangladesh. In India, it is high time to apply this technology, though already late, where other Asian countries have advanced successfully.
In India, with its vast resource of reservoirs (>3.51 million ha) under different geographic locations are under exploited with huge untapped potentials which could be properly manifested to enhance fish production by manifolds from the existing yield. The reservoirs in Himachal Pradesh (H.P.), seven in numbers are no exception to that though located in temperate and sub-tropical eco-condition. Pong reservoir (Area at FRL. 24,000ha, Mean depth: 26m) situated on Beas river in Kangra district of H.P. is basically a 'Cat Fish' dominated reservoir, where ICAR-CIFRI has attempted cage culture for production of Pangas (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) during 2016-18 with a production target of 2t fish per cage of dimension 6 x 4 x 4 m. A battery of 24 numbers Pontoon make cages were installed where two crops of Pangas were raised during the period with production. The production of table fish from fingerlings is being followed during May to mid-November maintaining initial stocking density with advanced fries at 150 nos.m-3 of size around 2.54 g, with subsequent thinning after two months at 40 nos.m-3 at size group of 70-90 g each.. The feeding protocol includes high protein feeds 32% and 5-6% fat, initially 10% at BW with mesh size 0.8 mm of extruded pellet followed by 2 - 4mm pellet during grow-out period applying 7% at BW feed with successive reduction of feed content upto 2% BW during October till final harvest. Due prophylaxis measure in time to time with the cleaning of netlon hapsa for more exchange of water has been given priority. The FCR encountered 1.2-1.6 with a production of 34.471 tone (1.4t per cage) in 2016-17 and 45.816 tone (1.90t per cage) in 2016-17 were achieved. The main impediment faced was low water temperature below 24°C even in end of May also. The B:C ratio at 1.3-1.5, a reasonably sound technology to be applicable in other such type of water bodies across India.