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Integration of pen aquaculture into ecosystem-based enhancement of small-scale fisheries in a macrophyte dominated floodplain wetland of India

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Abstract

The rapid degradation, overexploitation, and encroachment of floodplain wetlands have led to considerable decline in fish diversity and production from these invaluable aquatic resources threatening livelihood of the dependent fishers. The climate change evident in the fast few decades has further aggravated the problem of eutrophication causing water stress and sedimentation leading to rampant macrophyte proliferation affecting ecological and economic functioning of these ecosystems. Macrophyte control and management needs serious attention for sustaining ecosystem services provided by these resources. In this direction, pen culture of grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idella as a biocontrol for macrophytes along with Indian major carps was implemented in a co-management mode in Beledanga, a typical floodplain wetland, a gradually shrinking, macrophyte dominated floodplain wetland in lower Ganga basin. Indian major carps Labeo catla (6.28±0.23g), Labeo rohita (5.1±0.12g), Cirrhinus mrigala (3.5±0.08g) were stocked in the ratio 4:3:3 at the rate of 20 Nos.m−2 in pens (0.1ha each) in triplicate. Grass carp (7.1±0.42g) was stocked in pen at the rate of 20Nos.m−2 in duplicate. The fishes were fed with pelleted feed twice a day at the rate of 2–3% of body weight. The seed was overwintered in pens for a period of 90 days from November 2019 to January 2020. Average weight recorded at the end of culture period was 25.13±1.70g, 18.11±0.63g, 14.53±0.87g, and 39.20±1.90g in L. catla, L. rohita, C. mrigala, and C. idella, respectively. The survival of fish ranged from 70 to 81%. Growth performance and feed utilization efficiency of grass carp were significantly higher (p<0.05) compared to other carp species. The pen culture was found to be economically viable with a benefit cost ratio of 1.53. The fishes produced were released back into the open wetland as an additional input for culture-based fisheries. The intervention along with niche-based enhanced stocking led to 24% increase in the fish production from the wetland with grass carp contributing 20–22% of the total catch with 32% increase in revenue generated by the sale of fish within a short span of 1 year. The study successfully demonstrated technological suitability and economic feasibility of pen culture in this wetland and role of grass carp as a potential biocontrol species for macrophyte management. Grass carp stocked in open wetland grew to 0.8 to 1kg within 6 months and 2–2.3kg within a year and could utilize 40–45% of the submerged and emergent macrophytes. Integration and optimization of grass carp will not only aid in habitat management of macrophyte-choked wetlands but will also boost their small-scale fisheries by converting standing macrophyte biomass into protein-rich fish biomass. The enhanced production will also cater to nutritional and livelihood security of the dependent fishers.

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The original data presented in the study are available with the corresponding author and PI of the project the study is part of.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge funding support from WorldFish under the ICAR-WorldFish collaborative (W-3) project “Small-scale fisheries in wetlands for livelihood and nutritional security.” The authors acknowledge NICRA project for providing climatic data of the study area. Participation and cooperation of the Beledanga fisheries cooperative society for providing data and implementation of project activities in co-management mode is greatly acknowledged.

Funding

The study was funded by WorldFish under Indian Council of Agricultural Research collaboration (Window-3) program.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. ICAR-Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute, Kolkata, 700120, India

    Gunjan Karnatak, Basanta Kumar Das, Uttam Kumar Sarkar, Simanku Borah, Aparna Roy, Pranay Parida,  Lianthuamluaia Lianthuamluaia, Archan Kanti Das, Bijay Kumar Behera, Arun Pandit, Amiya Kumar Sahoo, Birendra Kumar Bhattacharjya, Sangeeta Chakraborty, Kausik Mondal & Purna Chandra

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  1. Gunjan Karnatak
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  2. Basanta Kumar Das
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  3. Uttam Kumar Sarkar
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  7. Lianthuamluaia Lianthuamluaia
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Contributions

Gunjan Karnatak: Methodology, execution of growth trial, recording onsite water and soil parameters, MS preparation

Basanta Kumar Das: Conceptualization, overall supervision and project administration

Uttam Kumar Sarkar: Data visualization and presentation

Simanku Borah: Data curation and MS preparation

Aparna Roy: Collection and analysis of fish capture data

Pranay Parida: Assistance in statistical analysis of data

Lianthuamluaia: Water quality analysis

Archan Kanti Das: Guidance on pen culture management at field

Bijay Kumar Behera: Reviewing and editing MS

Arun Pandit: Reviewing and editing MS

Amiya Sahoo: Reviewing and editing MS

Birendra Kumar Bhattacharjya: Reviewing and editing MS

Sangeeta Chakraborty: Management of pen farm

Purna Chandra

Kausik Mondal: Assistance in collection of samples

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Basanta Kumar Das.

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Ethics approval and consent to participate

The Institute Research Committee (IRC) of ICAR-Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute, Kolkata, considering the animal care and ethical issues approved the research program and sampling methodology. The authors consent to participate in the study.

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All the authors consent to publication of the study.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Karnatak, G., Das, B.K., Sarkar, U.K. et al. Integration of pen aquaculture into ecosystem-based enhancement of small-scale fisheries in a macrophyte dominated floodplain wetland of India. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29, 75431–75440 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-21112-1

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