Fish culture, also called pisciculture, involves the controlled rearing and breeding of fish in confined water bodies like ponds, reservoirs, and paddy fields. Fish culture can be classified based on the type of water body, management approach, species stocked, type of enclosure, and climatic conditions. The main classifications are extensive, semi-intensive, and intensive systems; pond, cage, and pen cultures; monoculture and polyculture; and warm and cold water cultures. Pisciculture plays an important role in augmenting food production and generating employment.

1. CULTURE FISHERY
AND ITS
CLASSIFICATION
Extensive, Semi-intensive and Intensive; Cage Culture
and Pen Culture

2. CULTURE FISHERY
 The controlled rearing and breeding of fish by man on
scientific lines in a confined water mass such as pond,
reservoir, paddy field etc.
 It is an occupation or business of catching the fishes.
 Its of two kinds:-
(A) Marine Fisheries (live in seas)
(B) Inland Fisheries (live in freshwater)
 Inland fisheries is further of two types:-
(A) Culture Fisheries (occur in small tanks or ponds)
(B) Capture Fisheries (occur in inland water)
 Culture fisheries are of two types:
(A) Aquaculture
(B) Fish Culture( Pisciculture ) 2

3. FISH CULTURE/PISCICULTURE
 Also called Pisciculture
 Pisciculture is defined as the method for culture and
rearing of fish and shell fish. Pisciculture is now carried
out in freshwater ponds. Paddy fileds, lakes and even in
artificial tanks and reservoirs. It involves raising fish
commercially in tanks and enclosures usually for food.
 Principal form of Aquaculture
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4. IMPORTANCE OF PISCICULTURE
 Pisciculture has a vital role in augmenting food
production as the world demand for fish products is
increasing steadily .
 It helps to utilize the vast areas like paddy fields can be
used for culturing of fishes.
 Culture of selected varieties of fish will help in a good
yield of commercial forms.
 Artificial feed enhances the growth ratio of fishes and
therefore helps in early harvest.
 Pisiculture generate employment for many people
especially in the rural areas of developing countries

5. Characteristics of farm
 Water is an essential medium for the culture of fish,
 The depth of the pond has an important bearing on the quality of
water. In shallow ponds, sunlight penetrates up bottom thus
faciliting increased productivity, hence depths greater than five
meters are rare in fish ponds.
 Temperature is another important physical factor of the water. As
fishes are cold blooded, their activity depends on the
temperature of the environment. All activities in fishes slow
down with fall in temperature: so growth of the fish thus
depends much on the temperature.
 The chemical conditions of water such as dissolved gases, PH,
inorganic compounds etc. are also very important in the
productivity of a pond.
 Alkaline or natural water is more productive than acid water. (PH
between 6.5 to 9)
 Plants are essential for a fish farm, but is necessary to check
their growth and speeding beyond a limit.
 Care should be taken against carnivorous fishes and water
beetles in fish farms.
 Water pollution should be controlled.

6. CLASSIFICATION
 Fish Culture is classified in several ways, depending upon the
different aspects and situations involved in the culture practice.
On the basis of Water bodies
 Pond fish culture
Culturing of fishes occur in water bodies i.e. Ponds
 Brackish water culture
Brackish water is a mixture of seawater and freshwater with a salinity less than
30ppt like estuaries, backwaters etc.
 Reservoir fish culture
Fish farming in man made lakes
 Coastal fish culture
Fish farming occur in coastal water body areas 6

7. On the basis of Management
 Extensive fish farming system
 Least managed form of farming system
 Large ponds ranging 1 to 5 ha in area are used for farming
 Production:- 1 -2 tons /ha/yr
 Semi-intensive fish farming system
 Involves rather small ponds (0.5 to 1 hectare in area)
 Harvest – 2500 to 10000 kgs (Fish)
 Production:- 10 tons/ha/yr
 Intensive fish farming system
 Intensive fish farming system is the well-managed form of fish farming
 To achieve maximum production of fish from a minimum quantity of water
 Production:- 20-200 tons/ha/yr
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8. On the basis of species stocked for farming
 Monoculture
 Only one fish species is reared in a culture system
 Trout, tilapia, catfishes, carps, shrimp
 Polyculture
 Two or more different fish species are farmed
 Polyculture practices give higher yield than monoculture
 The principal requirements of different species for polyculture are
 Different feeding habits
 Should occupy different columns in a pond system
 Should attain marketable size at same time
 Should be non predatory in behaviour 8

9. On the basis of enclosures
(a) Cage culture
Rearing of fish from juvenile stage to commercial size in a volume of water
enclosed on all sides
Cage culture is suitable to water areas which cannot be drained
 Merits of Cage Culture
 Effective use of existing water bodies
 Lower capital cost
 High density stocking is possible
 Prevents predators and competitors
 Demerits of Cage Culture
 It does not work where water current is very strong
 It requires regular inspection for diseased or dead fishes 9

10. Criteria for selecting fish for use
in enclosures:
 Value of fish and market demand
 Hardiness (in terms of ability to adjust to
high density culture, disease and handling).
 Ready availability of fish seed or juvenile
fish for stocking
 Fast growth in confined waters
 Availability of suitable feeds

12. 12

13. PEN CULTURE
Pen culture is defined as raising of fish in a volume of water
enclosed on all sides except bottom
Pens are made with metal wire mesh or nilon nets
 Merits of Pen Culture
 High production is ensured
 It generates employment
 Requires relatively low investment
 Rich food and oxygen supply are brought in pens
 Demerits of Pen Culture
 Harvesting is harder than cage culture
 Unfavourable weather conditions can damage the pens
 Rapid spread of diseases
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15. On the basis of climatic conditions
(a) Warm water fish culture
It utilizes water bodies of tropical regions
(b) Cold water fish culture
It uses water masses of temperate regions and hills

16. CONCLUSION
 The culturing and rearing of fish and shell fish is known as
pisciculture.
 Indian has a vast area of natural and artificial water bodies as
paddy fields, lakes, ponds, rivers, swamps, irrigation channels
and reservoirs.
 Fish faming involves raising fish commercially in tanks or
enclosers, usually for food.
 The most important fish species used in fish farming are carp,
salmon, tilapia and cat fish.
 There is an increasing demand for fish and fish protein, which
has resulted in widespread overfishing in wild fisheries.
 Fish meal and fish oil are of greater economic importance. So
psiciculture has greater economic importance,