Maharashtra will soon be housing the country’s first multi-species hatchery in Sindhudurg district, rearing crabs, sea bass, oysters and mussels. The state mangrove cell is currently in talks with different fisheries institutes across the country to develop the hatchery. We will develop the hatchery on a land of 1.5 hectares in Sindhudurg and are currently in discussion with fisheries institutes to discuss the final details. It will be the first-of-its-kind initiative, as it will bring different institutes together to develop the hatcheries, said N Vasudevan, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, state mangrove cell. While the crab hatchery will be developed by Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Aquaculture, the one for sea bass will be built by the Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture. Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) will develop hatchery for oysters and mussels. While the three hatcheries will share common facilities, these will have separate areas for the different species. Some facilities are commonly required for all the three hatcheries, such as sewage treatment plant and algae tank. By having a multi-species hatchery, we will better economise land and other resources. But owing to biosecurity concerns, we will have to keep them separate, as a virus attack on any one of the species will easily spread to the others, said Vasudevan. To be developed at a cost of Rs 10 crore, while the mangrove cell will contribute Rs 3 crore, the rest will be funded by the state government. This is set to boost the local economy and employment opportunities in the area. I foresee a boost to aquaculture in the western coast through this. It is a model that others can also follow in the area. It will boost the local economy as nurseries and intermediaries can come up who can supply the produce, Vasudevan said. Meanwhile, the fisheries department is planning prawn hatcheries in Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg. This will include five small and two big hatcheries. While the big hatcheries are expected to produce around 200 million larvae per hatchery, the small ones are estimated to produce 50 million larvae per hatchery. We are providing the big hatcheries a subsidy of 50 per cent and the small ones 25 per cent. Apart from making the produce locally available and cheaper, it will also ensure that we get better quality of prawns, said a senior official.