‘Essential to use cages at fisheries’ says Assistant Director

Official says govt working on comprehensive plan to promote fish farming across province

MULTAN: Promoting cages at fisheries is important for meeting the lack of protein in human diet while also enabling farmers to earn a considerable income, said Fisheries Assistant Director Chaudhry Ibrar Gujjar.

The Punjab government introduced cages in 2016-17; approximately 108 cages were installed at Head Punjnad in a public private partnership. Similarly, several cages were also installed near Kallar Kahar, he stated.



The Punjab government is working on a comprehensive plan in order to promote fish farming across the province.

Cages are installed in running water while fish eggs are placed inside them. This method of farming is fairly common in other countries such as Thailand, Japan and China, he maintained.

One advantage is that it offers s considerable return on investment to farmers. Moreover, installing these cages is fairly simple, he added.

In cages, observing and sampling the fish is fairly simple with little to no supervision. Since the cage is covered in mesh, there is a lesser risk of them being attacked by predators, he explained.

Cages range from one to several hundred cubic metres and can be of different shapes but ultimately the size of the cage depends on the size of the pond, the aeration ability and the method of harvesting. Rectangular, square and cylindrical are the most common, he said.

Small cages can be managed more easily than larger ones and usually provide a higher economic return per unit volume, the assistant director added.

Cages should be built to withstand tumultuous wind and wave conditions. A good flow rate is also important so that there is ample oxygen and the waste can be flushed away, he stated.



He revealed that the average cost of a normal sized cage was nearly Rs0.7 million to Rs0.8 million. However, the price could fluctuate depending on the size.

In Pakistan where water is now scarce, cages should be promoted at fisheries so that our dietary requirements can be met, he claimed.

He suggested that the government should also install processing plants so that the fish could be exported to other countries after being dried.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 24^th, 2018.