Indigenous Technological Knowledge (ITK’s) used in aquaculture for curing the diseases

1. West BengalUniversity Of Animal And Fishery Sciences
Faculty Of Fishery Sciences
Indigenous Technological Knowledge (ITK’s) used in aquaculture for curing the
diseases
Submitted to:
Prof. Gadadhar Dash
(Dept. of AAH)
Submitted by:
Rajesh Mandal
FS/2015/24
B.F.Sc. 3rd Yr. 5th Semester
AAH -312

2. Introduction
The Indigenous Technological Knowledge (ITK) in aquaculture mainly related to farm inputs has been
developed by the farmers themselves, based on their experiences.
In fact the knowledge has been inherited from generation to generation. This radically change the use
of fertilizers and devised some unique right hand thumb rule for disease diagnosis and treatment without
the costly antibiotics which is mostly useful for poor fish farmers.
Indigenous knowledge is effective, locally available, relatively cheap and less destructive to local
environments. Most of Assam’s tribal people survive on local knowledge base. It is therefore important
to identify and preserve these traditional technologies in order to sustain the productivity and protect the
ecosystem. ITKs related to inland fisheries were documented mainly on fish harvesting by some
researchers. Very few systematic works have been done in recent times in bringing the indigenous
knowledge on important aspect of fisheries such as pond maintenance, fish health management and fish
seed preparation.

3. Categories of ITK’s Types
Pond preparation and renovation ITK-1 Method of testing the water holding capacity of soil: around hole of about 2 m depth is
dug, filled with water and covered with banana leaves and the next day water level is examined.
ITK-2 Use of bamboo fencing for retention of pond dyke.
ITK-3 Traditional spillway using bamboo pipe: constructed to protect the pond from unwanted
excess water during floods.
Water quality management ITK-4 Use of banana stem to correct water quality.
ITK-5 Use of banana ash for reducing turbidity of water.
ITK-6 Application of straw in pond water for reducing clay turbidity.
ITK-7 Application of cow urine in the pond surface to control algae.
ITK-8 Beating the water surface of the pond with bamboo for 15-30 min to increase the oxygen
level.
Stocking ITK-9 Use of javaputi to control aquatic vegetation.
ITK-10 Rice- cum-fish culture with common carp.
ITK-11 Stocking Labeo calbasu instead of common carp to protect the dyke from erosion.
Feed management ITK-12 Substrate such as bamboo, wood, stem and branches of plants are put in the pond
bottom for plankton growth.
ITK-13 Use of banana and bamboo leaves as feed of grass carp.
ITK-14 Use of rafts to control aquatic weeds and to apply feed.
ITK-15 Control the spreading of weeds over the pond surface using bamboo.
Categories of ITKsused byfish farmers

4. Post-harvest practices ITK-18 Moslin net hapa for keeping live fish.
ITK-19 Live fish transport in polythene lined bamboo baskets.
ITK-20 Use of rice bran in thermocole box while transporting fish
ITK-21 Seed selling in temporary plastic trays in the market
ITK-22 Use of ‘neem-pata’ in ‘hundi’ for transportation of fish
ITK-23 Drying fish by keeping them over the kitchen fire on ‘chalonee’.
ITK-24 Drying fish in bamboo racks
Disease and pest control ITK-25 Use of ‘Pachatiya’ plant to reduce Argulus infestation.
ITK-26 Application of turmeric with lime at 3:7 ratio to control Epizootic
Ulcerative Syndrome (EUS).
ITK-27 Old gunny bags submerged in pond water are removed periodically to
dry and kill eggs of Argulus deposited over them
ITK-28 Application of salt and neem to control EUS
ITK-29 Keeping snakes away by growing turmeric plants on pond dyke
fish attractants used for catching
fishes
ITK-16 Use of moin seeds as fish poison
ITK-17 Branches of the saura plant are placed as fish attractant in suitable shallow areas
of the beels and rivers

5. Different
Methodologies
and Techniques
used in
USE OF COCONUT LEAVES OR TREES OR DATE PALM LEAVES AS SHADE FOR
FISHES IN SUMMER:
 Long and broad leaves of coconut or khajur (date palm) are tied to 2-3 bamboo poles. The poles are fixed at the
pond bottom. This provides shelter to fishes to overcome the heat and high temperatures during the summer
months.
 Lines of coconut trees are planted at the side of the ponds to provide shelter during scorching summer months.
 This in turn helps in controlling the diseases in fish because due to high water temperature, the fishes may go into
stress conditions and might be inviting various forms of disease causing agents and other various hosts carrying the
diseases.

6. Use of gunny bags for feedtransportation andstorage
 The common method of application of feed in pond is by broadcasting them over pond as powder or slurry form.
But this method increases the chances of wastage of food as it suspended in the bottom. thus the organic load of the
pond increased.
 But in this method the feed is kept in a gunny bag and suspended in the water to ensure the effective utilization of
feed from the meshes of the bags
 This increases the productivity and decreases the cost of production as feed (60% of total investment) wastage is
checked.
ADVANTAGES OF USING GUNNY BAGS FOR FEED STORAGE
 Gunny bags help to control the reproduction and spreading of Argulus sp. In the pond thereby preventing the
spreading of itching disease in fish.
 Farmers keep old gunny bag submerged in pond water and remove them periodically to dry and kill eggs of argulus
deposited over them.

7. USE OF BAMBOO LOGS INTHE POND:
 Farmers erect vertically in rural fish ponds plenty of bamboo sticks driven into bottom soil.
 Fishes rub their body against the bamboo sticks. This helps in removing a large number of ecto-parasite mainly
Argulus from their body.
Control of unwanted fishes: Removal of unwanted fishes , mainly the trash fishes , is pre-requisite for fish seed
rearing and culture for the better survival of fish seed and their growth. Traditionally farmers apply ‘Bish Lata
(Glaricidia sepium)’ @ 110-115 kg for 1 ha pond. Toxicity effect remains for 15-20 days after which fishes can be
stocked.
Control of snails in the ponds: Fish farmers used traditional technique to control over population of snail that
created hindrance in fish culture. They used coconut leaves or date palm leaves or bamboo basket plays were thrown
in the pond for a period of 15-20 days. It was observed by the farmers that snails used those materials as substratum.
Those materials were then removed from the ponds along with attached snails.
Control of Tadpoles: Presence of tadpoles in fish culture pond affect the growth of fish culture as it competes for
food and habitat in pond ecosystem. Approximately 60-62 kg ash or 20 kg lime was applied for 1ha water area to
control the growth of tadpoles in the culture waters.

8. ITKs related to fish health
management
Control of Epizootic Ulcerative Syndrome (EUS):
Introduction: EUS was reported as a fungal disease of fish occurring during the winter months.
Symptoms: Reddish coloured ulcers in the fish body was the outer symptom that the farmers used to
identify that the fish is affected with EUS. Lesions are often seen on the lateral surface of the body.
ITK applied by the farmers: They applied raw goat dung in the pond water @ 60-65kg/1 ha or
ash @ 437kg/1 ha. Diseased was cured after 12-15 days from the date of application. Application of mixture
of raw turmeric paste @ 625gm and banana stem juice @ 15L/1ha was found to be effective in controlling
EUS. Application of raw garlic paste @ 125kg/1ha water area was found to be effective in controlling EUS
within 15-20 days.
Also to control the disease several other methods are also practiced, like:
1. Use of water peppers at a concentration of 3kg Water-pepper leaves/100kg fishes, or 1-2kg
water pepper powder/100kg fishes via feeding mechanism for six days.
2. Use of Ricinus communis (castor oil plant) at a conc of 25-30kg for a 1000 square meters in
width and 1.5 - 2 meters in depth pond by immersion treatment for every 15 days.

9. GAS BUBBLE DISEASE
 CAUSE OF THE DISEASE: Gas bubble disease is associated with the supersaturation, with nitrogen or
oxygen, of the water in which fish are kept. It occurs when the total pressure of gases dissolved in water is
higher than the ambient atmospheric pressure. Heavy algal blooms have also been blamed, by producing
more oxygen than can diffuse into the water which supersaturates the pond. When fish breathe
supersaturated water, the excess gas can form emboli in various tissues.
Pond behavior: Obnoxious foul smell would come on the surface and also gasping of fish on the
surface will lead the farmer understand that there has been gas accumulation. Also bubbles on the pond
surface gives clear indication of gas accumulation.
ITK used by traditional farmers: Farmers spray a jet of water in full high speed through a pond so
that the excess gas formed in the pond gets mixed with the new water added to the pond. If the O2 conc. in
the pond decreases then raking of the water surface with bamboo sticks is to be done to allow the mixture of
oxygen with the water. If obnoxious gas accumulation takes place simply disturb the pond bottom with local
made or traditional dredgers to release the gas pockets in the pond bottom.

10. Tackling Plankton crash
Introduction: Planktons, mainly phyto-planktons & zooplanktons are primary level producers and
consumers in the pond ecosystems. They maintain a constant equilibrium in the pond ecosystem to maintain a
proper balance. Fishes feed on both phyto-planktons and zooplanktons at fry & fingerling stages, for their
proper body growth because in planktons only there is a proper availability of micronutrients and trace metals
necessary for their body development.
Often it is heard from the fish farmers that there has a plankton crash in their pond. Thereby it needs
immediate measure to solve out this problem in order to maintain an equilibrium in the ecosystem.
ITK used: It is often seen that farmers are adding cow dung slurry in the pond to increase the organic
load in the pond. Often farmers add banana plants ash in the ponds. The ash of banana plants is rich in
potassium and is alkaline in nature, which helps to increase the water pH. Banana ash also binds dissolved and
suspended particles in the water column and thus clears water by coagulating the particles. Water treated with
banana ash is thus rendered suitable for higher phytoplankton growth which in turn supports the fish growth.

11. Control of external parasite: For the control of external parasite, commonly Argulus sp., farmers
conventionally drive pieces of split bamboo into bottom sediments in such a way that the bamboo pieces remain in a
vertical position. They believed that fishes affected with Argulus can get rid by rubbing their body against the bamboo
pieces. Farmers also reported to use gunny bags in submerged conditions in pond water and removed them
periodically to dry thus killing all the eggs of Argulus deposited on them.
Control of muscle damage: In culture ponds, muscle spoilage of Indian Major Carps was common in study
area. Farmers practice a traditional method by making dip treatment of affected fish in salt water @ 1kg salt in 5L of
water for 1-2 minutes. Positive result was obtained within 7 days of the treatment.
Better growth of fish: Equal quantities of Mustard oil cake (MOC) and Rice Bran (RB) mixture was the
common fish feed used by the farmers. They traditionally added another component in feed composition, i.e. local
rice beer (prepared from fermented rice) to achieve better growth of fish. Farmers reported that a mixture of
MOC,RB and local beer @ 5:5:1 provided better growth of fish as compared to conventional feed.
Other cases where ITK can be used by the farmers in controlling diseases

12. Other examples of ITKs
Contol of leeches in ponds: To control the growth of leeches, the farmers throw peels of
cucumber or leaves of bitter gourd made into paste form. These plant materials helps in the
eradication of leechs.
Use of empty earthen pots in shrimp ponds: Empty earthen pots having long necks
are useful for removal of crabs from the shrimp farming ponds. Crabs mainly consume all the
food of the shrimps. Therefore to control their hindering activities in the culture process, empty
pots are placed at different places at the bottom of the pond with feed. It was reported that the
crabs entered the pots for getting the feed and got entrapped. Thus by removing the pots only,
the crabs from the ponds are removed.
Use of Mahua & Jaggery (Chite Gur): It is used as controlling agent of weed fish
and predatory fishes. This is because as saponin and mourin present in mohua, it is haematoxin
in nature which ruptures the RBC and leads to death of fishes.

13. Advantages of Indigenous Technology in Aquaculture process:
The method is totally eco-friendly as no synthetic or artificial ingredients used as
manure/fertilizer/medicines for proper management of the fish farms.
The farmer uses locally and farm-made ingredients which are easily available in and around the
culture area.
Involves the use of cheap and easily available materials and methods.
No side effects and exploitation of normal pond conditions.

14. Constraints faced by the fish farmers while applying the ITKs
Various constraints as reported by farmers in adopting the ITKs have been documented with frequency
and rankings. All (100%) the farmers interviewed during the study, perceived that ‘ITK alone is not complete
panacea for fish production practices’. Therefore, along with ITK, scientific package of practices need to be
practiced by the farmers. Alternatively, the modern science of fish farming should include the right mix of ITKs in
evolving package of practices.
Another constraint expressed by majority (77.5%) of the farmers was that ‘Government officials and
educated people give less recognition to this knowledge’. Very often the fisheries development officials ignore
ITKs. Hence, farmers are also reluctant to put full confidence in applying ITKs. The officials need to be sensitized
regarding the utility of ITKs.
‘Low yielding nature of traditional package of practices’ was a constraint to more than 70% of the
farmers. ITKs evolve through experience, trial and error, and they take in to account the holistic management of
natural resources. In most cases, ITKs ensure the sustainability of production. Sometimes they may provide low
yield, but the yield will be sustainable. Scientific testing and refining of this knowledge can definitely help to
improve the yield. Hence, research and development organizations should take up the task of refining select ITKs
and popularise them among the fish farmers.

15. More than one-half (52.5%) of the farmers commented that they don’t have the knowledge regarding
application of ITKs.. It has been seen that the younger generation generally does not rely on ITKs and they do
not care to learn from their forefathers about the usefulness of ITKs. Hence, there exists a gap in the
propagation of ITKs. Local panchayat offices could document the ITKs in their locality and popularise them.
Another major constraint, as expressed by the farmers (42.5%) was that ‘many ITKs become extinct
due to non-practice by the younger generation’. Older farmers in particular stressed upon this constraint. In
contrast, 12.5% of the farmers, who were comparatively young complained that, ‘the older experienced
farmers did not transfer the ITKs to any other person except their sons to maintain their monopoly in the field’.
Less than one-fifth (18.75%) of the farmers perceived that ‘traditional knowledge has no written documents;
and it is only transmitted orally’. Since information on ITKs is seldom documented, it often happens that such
information may be lost if it is not passed-down generations and is not preserved or practised by the local
people. In the context of the present day Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) regime, it is all the more imperative
to document and protect our valuable ITKs for posterity. Efforts should be made to store the information in
simple files managed by villagers themselves. The local panchayat has a big role to play in documenting the
ITKs in their locality, validating and refining them with the help of researchers and popularizing them.
Cont...

16. Conclusion
The ITKs which are most effective for aquaculture, as found in this study, need
special attention by scientists and extension workers in order to recover, conserve, improve and
utilise for future research and development.
Since majority of the ITKs could be justified through scientific explanation, it
should be accepted that the farmers indeed have a wealth of knowledge in solving their own
problems. Hence, it is suggested that scientists and scientific institutions should consider the
farmers as active partners in the process of technology generation to dissemination. Documented
ITKs will also help policy makers to protect products of creative and inventive endeavorus of fish
farming community through intellectual property rights (IPR).
The present study identified 29 traditional practices on aquaculture in the study
area. Majority of the ITKs analysed for their rationality were judged as rational by experts. Such
rational and effective ITKs suited to the local situation and culture may either be suggested for
adoption, or may be recommended to scientists for further examination, or blended with modern
technologies, which in turn would promote sustainable farming systems.

17. References
1. www.google.com/wikipedia
2. Indigenous Technological Knowledge in fish farming- pdf
3. itk knowlege.- pdf
4. IJTK 12(1) 66-71- pdf

18. THANK YOU