Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Parshottam Rupala on Thursday underscored the need to boost the mariculture sector, adding that the immediate focus is on promoting offshore cage farming using bigger cages.
Mr. Rupala was speaking after visiting the Vizhinjam Regional Centre of the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) on Wednesday.
Cage fish farming is to be expanded to offshore waters with larger cages having a diameter of 30 metres or more that can accommodate more juveniles, he said. At present, cage farming is undertaken in nearshore waters using cages with a diameter of six metres. Mr. Rupala urged CMFRI to lead the research and development in creating the bigger cages which are expected to ‘‘significantly boost mariculture production in the country,” according to him.