Community-Based Cobia, Rachycentron canadum (Linnaeus, 1766) Culture in Open Sea Cages at Olaikuda, Pamban Island, India: An Economic Analysis of Technology Transfer Initiative

Abstract

The Olaikuda Village of Pamban Island was chosen to demonstrate and transfer the open sea cage culture technology of cobia by the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT). Olaikuda is a fishing hamlet with 1,000 traditional fishers who are primarily involved in trap fishing. An attempt was made to supplement their income under the societal development initiative of the NIOT. With the active participation of the local fishers of Olaikuda, 3,000 hatcheryproduced cobia, Rachycentron canadum (Linnaeus, 1766) fingerlings were stocked equally in two cages with a stocking density of 4.7 fingerlings.m-3 . The cobia stocked in sea cages were reared with the locally available low-value fishes for 8 months. The sea farmed cobia attained an average weight of 3.3 kg resulting in an average daily growth rate of 13.5 g with a survival rate of 75 %. The fish were harvested on the 245th day of culture, which yielded 7,000 kg of marketable size cobia fish (1st cage 3,687 kg and 2nd cage 3,313 kg with an FCR of 1:5.5). The harvested fish were sold at the farm gate price of USD4.42 kg-1 , fetched USD30911.84. The economic analysis revealed a profit margin of USD1.26 kg-1 . The parameters such as cost of production, productivity, profitability, socio-economic impacts of native fishers were analysed during the study. The result of this farmer-driven attempt is encouraging the farmers across the coastal states to do cage culture farming in a big way. Similar efforts in more organised massive programs will create new jobs and reduce the fishing pressure on the natural sea stocks and considered a viable alternative livelihood for the fishers’ community affected by the declining natural fishery resources and international border issues.