The fisheries department has extended the deadline for applying to start a new fishing business in Gautam Budh Nagar under the Pradhan Mantri Matasya Sampada Yojana from July 15 to July 21. Officials are also motivating people to apply for the benefits of the multiple government-sponsored schemes available for fishing and fish farming to meet the demand in the district locally.
Recently, the fisheries department organised a session with the fisherman community in the Kundli Bangar village of Jewar. “We motivated the fishermen to take up modern and scientific fishing methods. We also urged them to avoid fishing during July and August, the breeding time for fish. During this period, the egg-carrying fishes may get killed, reducing the overall number of fishes in the water,” said Ravindra Prasad, assistant director, fisheries department, GB Nagar.
Launched in 2020, the Pradhan Mantri Matasya Sampada Yojana aims toward sustainable development of the fisheries sector over five years (2020-2025). Under it, the fisheries department has floated multiple schemes to enhance fishing and fish production through the expansion and productive use of land and water. These schemes also aim at generating meaningful employment and doubling the incomes of the fish farmers and the fisherman community.
The applicants so far have shown an interest in developing ponds on the outskirts of the cities for fish farming and supplying fish to markets on motorcycles, cycles and mobile vans. The live fish will get sold at hygienic kiosks to enhance the fish-buying experience of customers, officials said.
According to experts, schemes like recirculatory aquaculture systems (RAS) and bio floc units, which are part of indoor aquaculture, will enhance fish farming, especially for fishes like Pangasius. RAS is a technology where water is recycled and reused after mechanical and biological filtration and removal of suspended matter, and bio floc units ensure sufficient nutrition for the fish.
Under the RAS scheme, fish farmers will develop six to 25 RAS tanks, with the government assisting them with a loan of Rs 25 lakh. Meanwhile, the government will give Rs 50,000 to people with spacious residential complexes under the backyard RAS scheme.
“The schemes are not just about providing means to start a fish farming business but also upgrading the knowledge of the people already into the trade and the new ones. In scientific fish farming, adequate food quantity for the fish and disease management among the fish are also considered important, unlike traditional methods. The market is huge in GB Nagar, but other cities fulfil the needs in the district. If more people become a part of fish farming, we can meet the demand from production within the district,” added Prasad.