Aquariums are a feature in many households, offices and public places making ornamental fish business a lucrative option. But in Shillong and other parts of Meghalaya, the hobby is not large scale and business option is limited.
The previous Meghalaya government, in its Aquaculture Mission, had envisioned promotion, production and marketing of ornamental or aquarium fish.
Though ornamental fish are found in natural habitats in the state, nothing much was done after the draft mission was released in 2012. However, the new government has recently turned its focus on these varieties after a failed attempt to enhance production of local edible fish.
As the name suggests ornamental fish are those which are kept in captivity for beautification. They are usually colourful and small in size and do not make it to the platter. However, experts say any fingerling can be kept in an aquarium till they attain a particular size and hobbyists prefer a variety of them.
“There are two types — classified and non-classified. The former variety of ornamental fish is small in size and remains like that throughout,” says Rupak Nath, professor in the Department of Fisheries at St Anthony’s College.
Of the 165 species of fish found in Meghalaya, 159 have ornamental value, adds Nath.
With this natural abundance to boast about, the state’s aqua mission suggests, “In aquaculture sector, the ornamental fish breeding and trade provides excellent opportunities as a non-food fishery activity for employment and income generation. It is totally environment-friendly, socially acceptable and involves low investment with short gestation period. It could be adapted as a small-scale backyard enterprise either full-time or part-time and ensures high profit.”
It is true that farming ornamental fish is profitable as demand is high in both domestic and international markets but there are certain criteria and challenges which the government as well as fish farmers need to consider before the venture.
Experts and researchers whom Sunday Shillong spoke to laid emphasis on proper awareness and training before embarking on ornamental fish rearing.
SK Das, principal scientist and head of Division of Fisheries at ICAR Research complex for NEH Region Umiam, says awareness among fish farmers is crucial for conservation of these varieties as external factors like pollution, poisoning of rivers are destroying the natural habitat and endangering several species.
“There is an urgent need to conserve the fish germplasm of the region through better management practices, captive breeding, open ranching, etc,” Das wrote in one of his recent articles on ornamental fish in the northeastern region.
Besides, training in scientific rearing of ornamental fish is crucial. “A farmer rearing these fish should know about the temperature condition, oxygen level in water and hygiene, among other things. If these factors are not taken into account, the fish might be affected,” says Nath.
Farham MT Sangma, a Guwahati-based aquarium expert and dealer, says the cold water condition of Meghalaya has many beautiful fish, “which I have seen and found during my trips to random water bodies”.
“But they can be kept only in the same condition as they are in their natural habitat or else they slowly lose pigmentations and ultimately die. Ulcer is one of the most common diseases that most species of fish get if they are not acclimatised (to temperature) in the right way after they are taken and placed in new water condition,” he explains.
Market potential
The domestic aquarium market is reportedly worth Rs 300 crore and is expected to shoot up to Rs 1,200 crore in the next 10 years. India exports indigenous varieties of aquarium fish and 85 per cent of these are from the North East. Thirty-five species are endemic to the region of which eight are found in Meghalaya.
Schistura reticulofasciata, Schistura sijuensis and Nemacheilus barapaniensis (dohjei/kha syngkai), all varieties of loaches, are among those endemic to the state. Danios are also found here.
However, the local varieties have few takers in the country and hobbyists mostly go for foreign varieties. Das says most of the local ornamental fish are sent outside and Singapore is the hub. “But we need to sensitise people on the local varieties to create a strong market at home,” he adds.
The country exported ornamental fish to the tune of Rs 9.5 crore in 2016, which was a rise of 40 per cent from the previous year.
About 30 to 40 species in the North East are in great demand in the international market, which is unpredictable and floats on the trend. So for small and medium-scale farmers, a steady local market will help in sustainability.
In Shillong, the aquarium shops, which are only a few, source their ornamental fish from outside the state and goldfish is in high demand. “Most of the ornamental fish are supplied from Kolkata and southern states. Some aquarium keepers breed a few varieties but most of the species are imported from countries like China, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia,” says Sangma.
Basically, the local market remains largely unorganised.
Initiatives
The government’s plans for ornamental fish are in the nascent stage and the domestic market is still in its teens but efforts are being made to steadily create livelihood awareness on ornamental fish farming.
ICAR Umiam has offered its technical expertise to the Meghalaya government in rearing goldfish. “This variety is easy to breed and is in high demand in the domestic market. There are different kinds of goldfish and we are rearing some of them,” says Das.
The central research institute organised a workshop at the end of last month in which 35 farmers, hand-picked by the government, participated. Das says ICAR will train 10 from among the participants interested in goldfish farming. “We will provide them training free of cost. It will be a residential programme and ICAR will take care of the trainees’ food and lodging. The government can recommend 10 names,” says Das.
However, none of the participants has so far approached the government for further training from ICAR, informs a senior official in the Fisheries Department.
Das assures that a backyard hatchery and strong will are all one needs for goldfish rearing.
ICAR is planning another workshop in February.
The Department of Fisheries at St Anthony’s College are also organising workshops and doing academic works on ornamental fish. The last workshop focused on livelihood and entrepreneurship. Nath says the department — along with ICAR-DCFR Bhimtal and ICAR-CIFE, Mumbai — is collecting fish from the northeastern states for molecular and genetic characterisation under a central project.
Challenges
But these are only baby steps and challenges for all stakeholders to make the aqua-dream a reality still remain.
Beside a weak local market, climatic conditions too pose problems. An expert says the varieties found in the higher altitudes live in cold freshwater and it needs great expertise and proper equipment to transport them to a warmer area. This calls for a standardised system of breeding. ICAR Umiam is using polyhouse to rear goldfish for the first time.
Also, the government has to focus on proper infrastructure, like quarantine facilities before starting export. A quarantine facility becomes imperative for prevention of diseases and giving clean chit to fish meant for export.
“Other countries are strict about quality and they will never allow fish reared under unhygienic conditions. Again, the importance of training and large-scale awareness arises so that the entire endeavour is fool-proof,” Das explains.
Assam, the nearest neighbour of Meghalaya that ornamental fish breeders, does not have any quarantine facility. So even before Meghalaya takes up the mission, it needs to prepare for quality control.
Ornamental fish grown in captivity in India are reportedly not in demand in global market because of the limited knowledge of breeders and unhygienic traditional production practices. So the fish supplied abroad are all wild catch.
As the global market grows, India too becomes cautious and stricter about quality. Last year, the Environment Ministry announced new regulations making appointment of a full-time fisheries expert mandatory.
Most villagers are ignorant about the value of some rare varieties in the global market and often exploit by selling at throwaway prices without even caring for conservation. This calls for expert monitoring to not only make the venture sustainable but also safeguard the ecology and the fish’s natural habitat.
Many fear that due to high price (sometimes price may go up to Rs 50,000 a fish) of some varieties of fish a parallel illegal market may start. But this can be controlled to a large extent provided the authorities are sincere about it.
“The ornamental fish sector is relatively new to the region. In order to promote the sector there is urgent need for concerted efforts of researchers, technologists, financial and developmental organisations and finally the entrepreneurs,” Das had suggested in an article published in Aqua Aquaria India 2017.
This is exactly what is required to help the ornamental fish market grow. Sangma of Aquasynthesis is also hopeful that Meghalaya’s potential in this business can be explored with gains.
“Like in any other states, Meghalaya too has hobbyist and fish lovers so market to sale ornamental fish is great. With the right technique and right selection of species that will match the climatic condition… fish keeping can be easy and can encourage growth. If proper steps are taken with the help of experts and equipment then export of Meghalaya’s native ornamental fishes can be a great success,” he says.
~ Nabamita Mitra
(With inputs from Willie Gordon Suting & Richa Kharshandi)