Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Aquaculture
(A Society under Marine Products Export Development Authority,
Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Govt. of India)
Technology Development Centre for Sustainable Aquaculture

Marine Finfish Hatchery Project


Cobia
   Phylum :    Chordata
   Subphylum :    Vertebrata
   Class :    Actinopterygi
   Order    :    Perciformes
   Family   :    Rachycentriidae
   Genus :    Rachycentron
   Species :    canadum


The Marine Finfish Project of RGCA was initiated during the year 2009 with Cobia (Rachycentron canadum) as the candidate species. The project comprises of a Hatchery Facility at Pozhiyoor near Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala and a Sea Cage farm off Muttom in Tamil Nadu. 

The project was established to develop and disseminate technologies of Hatchery seed production of Cobia as well as to develop and demonstrate cage farming of hatchery produced Cobia seeds to marketable sizes.


Harvest of Cobia - Inaugral Function Cobia Hatchery


Infrastructure Facilities

This facility is customized to maintain the brood stock and rear the larvae of Cobia. The facility is equipped with broodstock maintenance tanks with dedicated Recirculation Aquaculture Systems (RAS) and live feed production unit . A quarantine unit for screening the brood stock is also established in the facility. Indigenously fabricated HDPE square cages (5m x5m) were deployed at Muttom fishing harbor for broodstock maintenance and grow out farming of Cobia.

Circular cages (12.7m and 16 m diameter) were fabricated  and deployed at Open sea off Muttom coast for grow out farming of cobia with mooring system.

Technology Development &Transfer

  • Technology for farming of Cobia to harvestable size in Sea cages using hatchery produced seeds has been demonstrated.
  • Sea ranching of hatchery produced Cobia juveniles was carried out at Vizhinjam as a part of Marine Natural Stock Enhancement Programme to increase the fishery of this species in the area in the coming years. This programme was flagged off by Shri. Oommen Chandy, Hon’ble Chief Minister of K erala on 22nd July 2011. A total of 16942 No`s of cobia fingerlings were released into the Sea since 2011 which includes 1000 No`s of fingerlings released in Open Sea off Muttom coast by Ms. Leena Nair IAS, President, RGCA  and Shri S. Nagarajan IAS, District Collector, Kanyakumari District on 11.4.2014
  • The project  has supplied 25,597 no`s of Cobia fingerlings to TANUVAS, Thoothukudi, Dept. of Fisheries, Govt. of Kerala, Dept of Fisheries, Govt. of  Goa,MFDC,  KVK, Narakkal, Kerala, MPEDA RC, Kochi and fish farmers of Kerala, Karnataka  and Tamilnadu   for their research/demonstration studies. 
  • A total of 0.5 million 1 dph (day post hatch) and 40 nos. of 58 dph (16 cm total length) cobia fingerlings were exported to M/s. Asian Fisheries Technology and Management Co. Ltd (AFTL), Iran and 1000 nos. of 41 dph Cobia fingerlings were exported to M/s. Fisher Farm INC, Philippines.
  • An awareness programme on the potential for farming of Cobia in Sea cages was organized for the benefit of local fisher folk as an additional source of livelihood. Besides, entrepreneurs who have evinced interest in Cobia farming were also provided with information on Cage farming
  • A farmers training programme was conducted on “ Open water cage farming and Cage fabrication” organized by MPEDA’s  Regional Centre, Kochi in Association with Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Aquaculture, from 18th to 20th March 2013 for 22 farmers from various Districts of Kerala.

Present Status 

The project has been successful in breeding Cobia and has presently standardized technologies for year round breeding of Cobia in Recirculation Aquaculture systems with thermal and photo controls. Fifteen successful breedings were achieved at the project since January 2011.

Three cycles of grow out farming of Cobia is under progress in sea cage farm in fishing harbour at Muttom. Over 66 metric tons of Cobia have been produced during these farming trials/demonstrations

Demonstration of trial grow-out culture of Cobia in  circular HDPE cages installed in Open sea off Muttom coast is going on.




 

The Team

Asst. Project Managers :    Shri. K. Dhandapani
:    Shri. Damodar. P. N
Asst. Technical Managers :    Shri. Aravind. V. S
:    Shri. R. Saravanan
Technicians :    Shri. A. Packiaraj
Electrician Cum Mechanic :    Shri. ES. Sajith
Accountants :    Shri. G. Karthik
:    Shri. V. Pharthasarathy


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