Media Release
Mangaluru, Nov 24: M/s Aquatic Biosystems, Mangaluru has been conferred with 'Best Innovation/Infusion Technology' award by the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB), Government of India.
The awards were presented on the occasion of World Fisheries Day during a programme held at the Union territory of Daman on the November 21. The award was presented for their work on standardizing breeding technologies for at least 30 different Indian native fishes many of them belonging to the eco-sensitive Western Ghats and producing them on a commercial scale.
Dr Ashwin Rai and Ronald Dsouza, partners of M/s Aquatic Biosystems are both Fisheries graduates (College of Fisheries, Mangaluru) and have been pioneers in the field of Fisheries especially ornamental fish production. Currently, they run the largest, most scientifically managed bio-secure fresh water ornamental fish farm in India producing over 40 lakh fish per year with markets in India and Europe. The farm produces 80 different exotic fish species and 30 different Indian native fishes on a commercial scale and has devised state of the art long distance high density live fish packaging techniques.
Some of these Indian native fishes belong to the eco-sensitive Western Ghats and are on the IUCN endangered fishes list and are bred only at this farm and nowhere else in the world that too on a commercial scale. They specialize in designing systems which aid in environmental manipulation and this enables them to standardize captive breeding technology for fishes which would otherwise breed only under natural conditions in the wild.
They are also pioneers in induced breeding of Indian native ornamental fishes which includes narcotization, hypophysation, artificial ovulation by stripping the fish and artificial fertilization.
The list of Indian native fishes bred at the farm include Etroplus canarensis, E suratensis, E maculatus, Dawkinsia apsara, D filamentosus, D arulius, D rubrotinticus, D rohani, D asimilis, D thambraparnii, D sahyadrensis, Sahyadria denisoni, Pethia conchonius, P nigripinnis, P setnai, Haludaria fasciata, Prestolepis marginata, Botia striata, Nemacheilus shimogaensis, N triangularis, Channa gachua, Mola mola, Garra mullya, G bicornata, Chela dadiburjori, Botia almoreh and Shisthura himachalensis. The farm has also produced a hybrid for the first time by inter breeding two species of barbs.
Two years ago they were presented 'Best Fisheries Entrepreneurs' award by the Department of Fisheries, Govt of Karnataka at a function held at Vidhana Sabha, Bengaluru.