Mentors Comments:

• http://www.fao.org/fishery/countrysector/naso_india/en
• The question is based on the aspects of aquaculture.
• One must present a detailed discussion of the scope & challenges of aquaculture in India.
• In the intro, define Aquaculture and provide certain facts regarding the aquaculture in India. 
• In the main body, write about the scope of aquaculture in India and then in brief mention about the challenges associated with it. 
• Discuss the steps taken by the government in this direction like Matsya Sampada Yojna etc.
• Conclude with a way forward to tackle the above challenges and the prospects it holds for the economy in future.

Answer:

Aquaculture or aquafarming is the cultivation of aquatic organisms – fish, shellfish and aquatic plants. Farming implies some form of intervention in the rearing process to enhance production, such as regular stocking, feeding, protection from predators, etc. It includes both marine water and freshwater species and can range from land-based to open ocean production.

Scope:

• Aquaculture resources in India include 2.36 million ha of ponds and tanks, 0.798 million ha of flood plain lakes/derelict waters plus in addition 195 210 km of rivers and canals, 2.907 million ha of reservoirs and that could be utilized for aquaculture purposes.
• The total fish production during 2017-18 is estimated to be 12.60 million metric tonnes, of which nearly 65% is from inland sector and about 50% of the total production is from culture fisheries and constitutes about 6.3% of the global fish production.
• India has over 3,000 species of fish, two-thirds of which are marine, a third are freshwater, and over 100 are brackish-water. In the past few years, in addition to whiteleg shrimp in brackish water, freshwater species like pangasius (a kind of catfish) and tilapia have become popular in aquaculture.
• Ponds and tanks are the prime resources for freshwater aquaculture, however, only about 40 per cent of the available area is used for aquaculture currently.
• It has been estimated that about 1.2 million ha of potential brackish water area available in India is suitable for farming.
• In addition to this, about 9.0 million ha of salt-affected areas are also available.
• The farming of shrimp is largely dependent on smallholdings of less than 2 ha, these farms account for over 90 per cent of the total area utilized for shrimp culture.
• More than 50 different types of fish and shellfish products are being exported to 75 countries around the world.
• Fish and fish products have presently emerged as the largest group in agricultural exports from India, with 13.77 lakh tonnes in terms of quantity and Rs. 45,106.89 crore in value.
• This accounts for around 10% of the total exports and nearly 20% of the agricultural exports and contributes to about 0.91% of the GDP and 5.23% to the Ag – GVA of the country.
• With over 2.4 lakh fishing crafts operating along the coast, 7 major fishing harbours, 75 minor fishing harbours and 1,537 landing centres are functioning to cater to the needs of over 4.0 million fisherfolk.
• To promote aquaculture, 429 Fish Farmers Development Agencies (FFDAs) and 39 Brackish water Fish Farms Development Agencies (BFDAs) were established in the country.

Challenges:

• At present, the freshwater aquaculture system remains restricted to carp culture in a few private ponds, prawn cum paddy culture in limited areas, stocking of carps in a few irrigation reservoirs, and river ranching in a few rivers on a limited scale.
• No serious effort has been taken to develop coldwater fish culture, game fisheries, culture of indigenous fish species of India, freshwater pearls, etc.
• ornamental fish industry still prefers imported feeds due to lack of indigenously- made feeds of good quality.
• In shrimp culture, only 15 per cent of the potential area has been put into culture purpose.
• Most of the freshwater fishes are marketed whole without any processing. No effort has been taken to make value-added products like fish fillets, surimi etc.
• It has also brought vast un-utilized and under-utilized land and water resources under culture
• Over the years, however, culture practices have undergone considerable intensification and with the possibility of obtaining high productivity levels, there has been a state of flux between the different farming practices.
• In the brackish water sector, there were issues of waste generation, conversion of agricultural land, salinization, degradation of soil and the environment due to the extensive use of drugs and chemicals, destruction of mangroves and so on.
• In many cases, aquaculture administration still falls under more than one agency, which often hinders progress.

Way forward:

• Advanced farming practices such as cage culture; pen culture and running water culture are emerging in many places, and have great potential for utilizing vast areas of freshwater bodies in India.
• The cultivable space could be more effectively enhanced by utilizing the available water area and facilitating easier harvesting compared to conventional farming in earthen ponds.
• Cage culture does not affect the indigenous flora and fauna of the reservoirs or their water flow characteristics and is therefore ecologically safe.
• The rich resources of wetlands, which remain fallow during major parts of the year could be brought under freshwater prawn farming to enhance production and productivity from these fallow water bodies.
• Serious effort to protect biodiversity is needed in the case of indigenous ornamental fishes and coldwater fishes.

Aquaculture over recent years has not only led to substantial socio-economic benefits such as increased nutritional levels, income, employment and foreign exchange. With freshwater aquaculture being compatible with other farming systems, it is largely environmentally friendly and provides for recycling and utilization of several types of organic wastes.