1. The newsletter discusses a memorial lecture held to honor noted fisheries scientist Dr. V.K. Unnithan. The lecture focused on the potential of reservoirs in India to increase fish production through proper management. 2. The keynote speaker, Dr. V.V. Sugunan, discussed how reservoir fisheries could sustainably increase India's annual fish production by 10 lakh tonnes without additional costs. He highlighted management challenges and potential solutions for reservoir fisheries. 3. The newsletter provides an overview of the status of bivalve mollusc resources in India. Bivalves contribute around 2782 tonnes annually and include clams, mussels, and oysters. Management of

1. 1
Raj Fisheries Newsletter
(Devoted to Fisheries Education and Awareness) Newsletter -2 (1) , April,2022
This issue of the newsletter is reaching you after a
big gap due to various reasons. Corona pandemic is
one of these. Efforts are being made to request
competent people to share their ideas in
the form of suitable articles for the benefit
of readers. As regards the frequency of
publication of this newsletter attempt will
be made to publish this newsletter after
every 3 months depending on the inputs
received from the members. Indeed lots
of positive activities are taking place in
the field of Inland fisheries and aquaculture in our state
but due to the communication gap suitable inputs in
the form of news items are not available. To cite an
example, large-scale shrimp farming activities are
being taken up by the initiative of fish farmers in a big
way. Shrimp farming is becoming a popular enterprise
in certain parts of Western Rajasthan. Obviously, with
proper scientific management and technical support,
this activity may attain new heights in the state of
Rajasthan. Recently Rajasthan has declared a
butterfly of the state however, so far ‘State Fish’ of
Rajasthan has not been declared despite our repeated
request to the state fisheries department.We will
continue to pursue this matter.One positive
development has occurred recently that College of
Fisheries has received accredation of ICAR after
rigrous online assessment. Entire team of teaching
faculty,subordinate staff and students of the college
deserve appreciation for the painstaking tireless efforts
under the leadership of honourable Vice Chancellor Dr
N.S.Rathore for this success.Our appreciation also
goes to Dr B.K.Sharma, Dean of Fisheries College for
this achievement.
.Prof.(Dr) L.L.Sharma,(Ex Dean College of Fisheries,
MPUAT) Editor
Dr V.K.Unnithan memorial lecture-
‘Reservoirs are Sleeping Giants’
-Dr V.V.Sugunan
On the eve of Republic Day Rajfisheries Group
organized a memorial lecture on the topic "Reservoir
fisheries- through the lens of Blue revolution"
was organized on the occasion of the 71st birth
anniversary of noted fisheries scientist late Dr.
V.K.Unnithan. This memorial lecture was organized on
Tuesday 25th January at 5 pm and addressed by Dr
V.V.Sugunan as the Chief Guest of the online event.
The group's convener and program coordinator Dr. L.L.
Sharma, former Dean of Fisheries College paid
homage to Dr. Unnithan on behalf of all the
participants. Former Deputy Director General
(Fisheries), Indian Council of Agricultural Research,
and former Director of Central Inland Fisheries
Research Institute, Barrackpore,Dr.V.V. Sugunan
delivered the first Dr. Unnithan Memorial Lecture.
Throwing light on the present condition of the Indian
reservoirs, he said that in a drought-affected state like
Rajasthan, importance has been given to water
conservation since centuries ago. The importance of
water conservation is fully associated with the local
culture here. Dr. Sugunan said that while stagnation is
being observed in marine fisheries over the last
decade in terms of production and resources, there is
a continuous increase in inland fish production. In the
total fish production of the country, the production of
fisheries and captured fish from reservoirs has
increased in recent years,
In total 2,441 large, medium, and small reservoirs in
Rajasthan, and at present 4,00,519 hectare of water
area is available for fish farming at full tank level. On
the basis of the available fish feed and water
productivity in this huge water resource by scientifically
harvesting and managing a suitable number of fish
seeds, the fish production of the state can be
increased tremendously. With this, in order to increase
the fish production announced by the Honorable Prime
Minister, more rapid steps can be taken towards the
Blue Revolution, in which a provision of about Rs 3000
crore has been made for fisheries development.
Terming the reservoirs as 'sleeping giants', he said that
with the high potential of lake and reservoir fisheries in
the country, fish production can be increased to 10
lakh tonnes in a sustainable manner without spending
any extra amount, and without the need for additional
water and land. Following such strategy a large
number of jobs can also be created. He also
discussed in detail the various difficulties and solutions
of reservoir fisheries. Dr. N. C. Ujjania, Prof. Veer
Narbad South Gujarat University introduced Dr.
Sugunan as the chief Guest and main speaker of this
programme.
At the beginning of the program Dr. K.A. Varghese,
former Head of Agriculture Statistics(RCA), highlighted
the significant Research contributions made by Dr.
V.K. Unnithan while working in ICAR. Prior to this, Dr.
BK Sharma, Dean of Fisheries College welcomed the

2. 3
guests. Program coordinator Dr L L Sharma paid
humble tribute to Dr. Unnithan in his welcome address
and shared his experiences with him. Dr. Sharma
refreshed his old memories with Dr. Unnithan by
sharing pictures of important moments of his academic
carrear through power point. Dr. Unnithan's son Mr.
Arvind also expressed his views by joining the program
from Australia. Dr. V.S. Durve, the eminent Fisheries
Scientist and former Head of the Department of
Limnology and Fisheries while presiding the program
remembered Dr. Unnithan and said that Dr. Unnithan,
was the first research student, who did his PhD and
research work under his guidance. The special guest
of the program, Dr. George John, Former Advisor,
Department of Biotechnology, Government of India,
recalled his friendly and professional days spent with
Dr. Unnithan and shared his experiences in heart
touching manner.. The other special guest was the
former Vice-Chancellor of Kota University, Prof.
Madhu Sudan Sharma who paid tribute to Dr. Unnithan
who was his intimate friend and they had done PhD
research together. He told that he was a multifaceted
talented gentle person who was always ready to help
others. He made a very important contribution in the
field of fisheries. The program was conducted by Dr
L.L. Sharma, former Dean of Fisheries College, and
programme was concluded with the vote of thanks
proposed by Dr. Subodh Sharma, former Dean of
Fisheries College. More than a hundred officers,
academicians, and students participated in this
program. Among them were Dr. Vimal Sharma, former
Dean of Fisheries College, Dr. Dilip Kumar, former
Director, CIFE, Dr. Purshottam,former PS(CIFE), Dr.
Sudhir Raizada, former Deputy Director General of
Fisheries(ICAR), Prof. S.L. Chobisa, Smt. Usha
Unnithan & daughter Arsha, Dr. S.M. Jain, Mr. Manoj
Bhatnagar, Dr. Ashwini Sharma, Dr. M.C. Gupta, Dr. R.
Venugopal, Dr. Niranjan Sarang, former officers of the
State Fisheries Department, Shri C.S. Chaudhary, Ex
JD, Shri Arun Purohit,Ex Dy Director, Shri Anil Joshi,
AD and former and present students of fisheries
witnessed the event from different parts of country.
An Overview of Bivalve Mollusc
Resources Status and Management
Suman Takar, P. Jawahar, Udai Ram Gurjar & P. K.
Pakhmode
TNJFU- Fisheries College and Research Institute,
Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu - 628 008
The phylum Mollusca dominantly constitutes a group
of benthic macrofauna belonging to seven classes
such as Aplacophora, Gastropoda, Monoplacophora,
Bivalvia, Polyplacophora, Cephalopoda and
Scaphopoda (MolluscaBase, 2021). In India, 5169
mollusc species have been recorded, representing
around seven percent of the total global molluscan
diversity (MoEF, 2014). A total of 5070 species have
been reported, out of which 3400 marine species
(Tripathy and Mukhopadhyay, 2015). Molluscs
production is also economically relevant as global
aquaculture production of 17.51 million tonnes, out of
these 17.30 million tonnes from marine and coastal
aquaculture in 2018 (FAO, 2020).
The commercially important bivalves along the Indian
coast include clams, mussels and oysters. Except for
pearl oysters, bivalves have been fished either for
meat or shell. Bivalves are living with corals and are
commonly found in crypts within massive corals (Souji
et al., 2014). Bivalve shells provide a great opportunity
to the fishermen's families in India for their income and
livelihood. They play an important role in coastal
ecosystems since they perform nutrient cycling, filter
organic matters, and plankton suspended in water and
protein food play a significant role in enriching the
unbalanced diet of the coastal populations (Broom,
1985).
Bivalves are perhaps the least managed resource
along the Indian coast. In most maritime states the
effort for fishing bivalves can be enhanced.
Over-exploitation of bivalves and sustained freshwater
flows from the hydel projects are expected to have
adverse consequences on bivalve resources
(Ramachandra, et al., 2012). One of the major
drawbacks in the management of the bivalve fishery is
that there is no mechanism for proper collection of
data on the fishery landings. Building up a proper
database on the resource availability and utilization
pattern is essential (Kripa and Appukuttan, 2003).
Global status of bivalve mollusc
The rapid growth of the bivalve mollusc production
industry during the last six decades, with production
growing from almost one million tonnes in 1950 to 17.5
million tonnes in 2018 (FAO, 2020). Aquaculture fish
production was dominated by finfish (54.3 million
tonnes) followed by molluscs as mainly bivalves (17.7
million tonnes, USD 34.6 billion), crustaceans (9.4
million tonnes, USD 69.3 billion), marine invertebrates
(435400 tonnes, USD 2 billion), aquatic turtles (370000
tonnes, USD 3.5 billion), and frogs (131300 tonnes,
USD 997 million) in 2018 (FAO, 2020).
Indian status of bivalve molluscs
Along the Indian coast molluscs production was
estimated at 1,32,531 tonnes out of these 2782 tonnes
of bivalves group has contributed in 2018. The fishery
was dominated by clams fishery contributing 76.3% to
the annual bivalve production followed by mussels,
15.3%, and oysters, 8.4% in 2018 (CMFRI, 2019);
while in 2020 contribution was 89.5% by clams
followed by oysters (8.2%) and mussels (2.3%)
(CMFRI, 2020).
Significance of bivalve molluscs
Responsible aquaculture production of bivalves has a
positive environmental impact and significant
nutritional benefits, in particular in terms of providing
micronutrients. The sustained high prices for bivalves
have catalyzed the expansion of the bivalve
aquaculture industry in various regions.
The shells of bivalves, such as mussels and oysters,
can be turned into calcium carbonate or calcium oxide,
two highly versatile chemical compounds with wide

3. 4
industrial applications. Other uses for shells include
their transformation into cosmetics and traditional
medicines (pearl powder), calcium supplement in
animal feed (shell powder), handicrafts, and jewelry
(FAO, 2020). As the production and processing of
crustaceans and bivalves have increased, efficient use
of their shells has become important, not only to
maximize financial return but also to address waste
disposal problems because of their slow natural
degradation rate (FAO, 2018).
Pearl productions are now utilized for
aquaculture-effluent treatment on individual farms as
well as under communal-setting clustering of several
farms (FAO, 2020). Bivalves are an important category
of by-products. Their efficient utilization is important
due to the high volumes being generated linked to their
increased production and processing, and the slow
natural degradation rate of shells (FAO, 2016).
Bivalves, filter-feeding organisms that extract organic
matter from water for growth, and seaweeds, which
grow by photosynthesis by absorbing dissolved
nutrients, are sometimes described as extractive
species. When farmed in the same area with fed
species, they benefit the environment by removing
waste materials, including waste from fed species,
thus lowering the nutrient load. The culture of
extractive species with fed species in the same
mariculture sites is encouraged in aquaculture
development planning and zoning exercises in the
European Union and North America (FAO, 2020).
Mussel shells provide calcium carbonate for industrial
use. In some countries, oyster shells are used as a
raw material in building construction and quicklime
(calcium oxide) production. Scallop and mussel shells
are used in handicrafts and jewellery, and for making
buttons (FAO, 2018).
Ecological role
Bivalve organisms are filter feeder animals
They are a valuable fisheries in various parts of the
India which providing shells for quality-calcium
preparation, food for human consumption, pearls for
jewelry.
They are also a rich source of bioactive compounds
which are using in medicinal preparations.
They play a significant role as a blue carbon initiatives
on farms of aquaculture, nutrient remediation, and
feed-shrimp etc.
This fishery contribute to the income and livelihoods
opportunity to fishermen population in India waters.
Exploitation of bivalve methods
Exploitation of bivalves resources are simple,
using non-mechanized gear ranging from manual
picking to hand operated dredges and others like
digging, snorkelling, trawling and scuba diving. This
fishery is mainly during low tide by local fishermen and
who collect them in net bags tied around their waist
usually the maximum collections are made on new
moon and full moon days when the bivalve beds are
fully exposed (Alagarswami and Narasimham, 1973).
Exploitation methods are different where different
types of craft and gears are used as in Kerala the
demand for clams increased thus the local fishermen
started operating hand dredges which have increased
the catch per unit. In Vembanad Lake, a new fishing
method is tracked wherein mechanized boats tow
several canoes to the fishing site to reduce the effort of
the fishermen to reach the site. In Kakinada Bay, a
special type of craft such as Shoe Dhone is used in
which the entire family lives during a fishing trip that
extends for 3 to 4 consecutive days. The Plank-built
non-powered boats are deployed for the transport of
bivalve resources. The hand-operated dredges from a
dugout canoe method of collection are widely practiced
in Ashtamudi Lake (Appukuttan et al., 1987).
Management Strategies
Bivalves offer one of the important examples of
resource management along the Indian coast. One of
the major bivalve resources, the short-neck clam
(Paphia malabarica) is well protected by the following
regulations formulated by the Government of Kerala
based on recommendations made by CMFRI.
a) Ban on fishing activity during the breeding season
(September to February),
b) Use of gears with 30 mm mesh size to avoid
exploitation of smaller clams,
c) Restrict the grade of export of frozen clams meat to
1400 nos/kg and above and
d) Initiate semi-culture or relaying of small clams.
One of the major drawbacks in bivalve fishery
management is that there is no proper data collection
system on the fishery landings. Overall Mollusca
resources were unaccounted in fish production in the
country (Alagarswami, and Meiyappan, 1987). For
management where a proper database on the
resource availability and their utilization pattern is
essential (Mohamed, et al., 2013). Bivalve resources
are perhaps the least managed resource along the
Indian coast. In most maritime states the effort for
fishing bivalves can be enhanced. Apart from the
restriction on the pearl oyster fishery by the
Government of Tamil Nadu and the management
measures on the short neck clam fishery of Ashtamudi
Lake in Kerala, there are no regulations for effective
utilization and conservation of these resources.
Here the fishers are aware of the advantages
derived from practicing the management measures
and willingly stock seeds obtained during fishing for
further growth. Similarly, the sea ranching of pearl
oysters spat in the pearl beds has helped to repopulate
the stock to a certain extent. However, more effective
measures are required to attain a productive level.
How to raise the bivalve resources
Regular monitoring of the fisheries characteristics of
the bivalves at important production centers is to be
taken up.
Stock assessment studies and programme on bivalve
seed ranching in the mainland needs to be intensified
and for endangered species have considerable
potential for development.

4. 5
Deep studies on biology and also to the development
of bivalve seed production hatchery technology,
leading to sea ranching for endangered species,
should receive priority.
In India, the waters domestic market for bivalve
shellfish is limited as they are not conventionally eaten.
Product development and extension work are required
to expand the domestic market and for foreign markets
are to be explored.
References
● Alagarswami, K., Meiyappan, M.M., 1987.
Prospects and problems of management and
development of the marine molluscan resources
(other than cephalopods) in India. In CMFRI
Bulletin National Symposium on Research and
Development in Marine Fisheries Sessions I &
II,44(1), 250-261). CMFRI; Kochi.
● Alagarswami, K., Narasimham, K.A., 1973. Clam,
cockle and oyster resources of the Indian coasts.
Proceedings of the Symposium on the Living
Resources of the Seas around India, Central
Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Cochin, India.
648-658.
● Appukuttan, K.K., Mathew, Joseph, Thomas, K.J.,
1987. Larval rearing and spat production of the
brown mussel Perna indica Kuriakose and Nair at
Vizhinjam, southwest coast of India. Nat. Sem.
Shellfish Res. Farming, Tuticorin. CMFRI Bull. 42
(pt. II), 337–343.
● Broom, M.J., 1985. The biology and culture of
marine bivalve molluscs of the genus Anadara,
WorldFish.
● CMFRI, 2020. Annual Report 2019. Central Marine
Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi. 284 p.
● CMFRI, 2019. Annual Report 2018-19.
ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute,
Kochi, Kerala, India. 320 pp.
● FAO, 2016. The state of world fisheries and
aquaculture 2016. Contributing to food security
and nutrition for all. Rome.
● FAO, 2020. The State of World Fisheries and
Aquaculture. Sustainability in action. Rome.
● FAO, 2018. The State of World Fisheries and
Aquaculture - Meeting the sustainable
development goals. Rome.
● Kripa, V., Appukuttan, K.K., 2003. Marine bivalves.
Publisher CMFRI, In: Mohan Joseph, M.,
Jayaprakash, A.A., (Eds.). Status of Exploited
Marine Fishery Resources of India. Central Marine
Fisheries Research Institute of India. CMFRI,
211-220.
● MoEF, 2014. India's fifth national report to the
convention on biological diversity. Ministry of
Environment and Forests, New Delhi, 100 p.
● MolluscaBase eds. 2021. MolluscaBase. Accessed
at http://www.molluscabase.org on 2021-09-18.
doi:10.14284/448.
● Souji, S. Radhakrishnan, T., 2015. New report and
taxonomic comparison of Anadara and Tegillarca
species of Arcidae (Bivalvia: Arcoida) from
southern coast of India. Int. J. Sci. Res. 4,
1817-1824.
● Tripathy, B., Mukhopadhyay, A.K., 2015. Marine
molluscan diversity in India. In Marine Faunal
Diversity in India. Acad. Press. pp. 39-74
Fishes of Rajasthan:
Stinging Catfish Heteropneustes fossilis: a
native candidate species for aquaculture in
Rajasthan
The stinging catfish, Heteropneustes fossilis is
commonly
known as
Singhi. It
belongs to
the family
Heteropneustidae of the order Siluriformes.It is a
freshwater air-breathing catfish that is able to survive
in oxygen-depleted waters as well due to the presence
of sac-like pharyngeal lungs as accessory respiratory
organs. It has a very sharp pectoral spine, which can
make the painful wound, that’s why handling should be
proper. It has four pairs of barbels. It is an omnivore
fish that thrives in all kinds of shallow freshwater
habitats. It breeds in confined waters during the
monsoon season. It can even be reared at extremely
high stocking density. The fish fetches a high price due
to fewer spines in the flesh, less fat, and good
digestibility.
H. fossilis is considered an ideal fish species for
aquaculture due to its fast growth, tolerance to high
stocking densities, high market value, and ability to
survive in oxygen-low waters. Singhi attains maturity at
the age of one year (almost150-200g) and is a
monsoon breeder. The female is generally larger than
the male in size and has a soft swollen abdomen with
a shorter and blunt papilla. Mature and healthy
females and males in the ratio of 1:1 (by weight)can be
used for spawning by administration of intramuscular
injection of synthetic hormone-like ovaprim or Gonopro
(0.6-1.0 ml/kg body weight) or WOVA-FH as a single
dose of 0.6-1 ml/ kg body weight. The conducive
temperature for its spawning is 26-28o
C. Hydrilla is
used to create a natural environment for the brooders.
The top of the tank is covered with nylon or mosquito
net. A substratum should be placed at bottom of the
tank for eggs such as a perforated rubber mat. Soon
after the completion of spawning, the spent parent,
aquatic plant, and rubber mat should be removed from
the breeding tank. Hatching takes place within 16-20
hrs and hatchlings are transparent in colour. The yolk
sac absorption occurs 72-96 hours post-hatching and
the larvae should be fed immediately cladocerans and
rotifers. For 12 days larvae should be fed with
zooplankton and ad libitum and within 20-22 days the
larvae grow into fry. The species attains a marketable
size within 10 months. Singhi fish can be effectively

5. 6
cultured in low-lying areas such as unutilized swamps,
marshy areas, wetlands as well as other derelict water
bodies.
Recently many reports have shown that exotic
catfishes pose a heavy threat to native fishes hence
the Government of India put a ban on many of them
e.g.,Clarias gariepinus, although farmers are willing to
culture them due to favourable short-term profits.
Hence it has essential to spread awareness about
native catfish culture among fishers of Rajasthan as an
income generation source as well as conservation of
native fish biodiversity.
Lovedeep Sharma
PhD Scholar
Dept. of Fisheries Resource Management
KUFOS, Kerala, India
Status of Fish marketing in Sikar
- Manohar Lal Arora, Ex Asst. Director Department of
Fisheries
Three districts - Sikar, Churu, and Jhunjhunu - are
included in the "Shekhawati" region of Rajasthan.
Sikar district, which includes these three districts, is
located in the north-eastern part of the state of
Rajasthan. This district is surrounded by Jhunjhunu
district in the north, north-east. It is surrounded by
Churu district, in the south-west by Nagaur district and
in the south-east by Jaipur district.
It also touches the Mahendragarh district of Haryana in
its northeast corner. The area of ​
​
Sikar district is
7742.43 Sq.km and its population as per the 2011
census is 26.77 lakhs. The old name of Sikar was
"Veer Bhanka Bas".
Sikar city which comes under Municipal Council is
situated on National Highway No. 11 between Bikaner
and Agra. The city is well connected to Jaipur and
Delhi by rail and road.
Sikar lacks perennial rivers and streams. Due to this,
there is also a lack of large reservoirs and ponds for
irrigation. A total of 33 water bodies have been given in
the contract list of the Fisheries Department. Out of
these, 2 are of A category, 6 of B category, 16 of C
category, and 9 of D category. Due to the lack of water
logging, their fishing contracts are also not able to be
done regularly. further, there is a lack of surface water
and the underground is also saline or highly saline, in
many areas.
In the district, about one hundred fish farmers are
engaged in fish farming in a sporadic manner by
making ponds on their own land. However, due to lack
of water, these fish farmers are not getting proper
benefits. It is an important fact that in comparison to
Churu and Jhunjhunu districts of Shekhawati region,
the trend towards fish and shrimp farming is less in
Sikar district but it is noteworthy to observe that
Sikar's fisheries is moving ahead in the field of pearl
production. Pearl culture has been done successfully
since last 10 years by a farmer namely Vinod Bharti in
village Bai of Tehsil Danta Ramgarh of this district. The
office of Assistant Fisheries Development Officer has
been established since the year 1972 for the
development, conservation and implementation of
welfare schemes in Sikar district. Through Fish
Farmers Development Agency, Jaipur, the fish farmers
of the district are given training, water area allotment
on lease for a long period with grant-in-aid.
At the time of India's independence, only a few
communities in the social structure of Sikar had an
attraction towards meat and meat as a food
commodity. But there was no interest of the common
non-vegetarians to adopt fish as food. In fact, fish was
not available to consumers at that time. Almost 75
years after independence, the situation of the meat
and fish trade in Sikar has remained almost the same.
The social structure of this district mainly supports a
vegetarian diet. Because of this, there is no system of
regular sale of fish anywhere in Sikar district except
Sikar city.There is only one prominent place of the
local sale of fish in Sikar city - Bisayati Chowk.
Situated between these two places, 2 km from the
railway station and 2 km from the bus stand, "Bisayati
Chowk" is an old populated locality. There are about a
dozen pucca shops selling non-vegetarian items on
this square. Out of these, meat and meat, as well as
fish, are also retailed at about half a dozen shops. One
among them where only fish is sold in wholesale and
retail for twelve months. Meat has been sold in this
square since the pre-independence period.But the sale
of fish has been started around 1970.
The consumption of fish in Sikar starts increasing from
the beginning of August before the winter season. This
consumption remains high from the middle of October
to the beginning of the month of March. Due to this,
with the onset of winter, the sale of fresh fish on
boards and fish pakoras, and other ready-made fish
dishes increases in the "Bissayati Chowk" of Sikar.
At this place, the sale of fresh fish is done year-round
with a lot of cleanliness in the pucca shops. Marketing
of fish started in 1970 in "Bissaati Chowk" of Sikar,
fishes were procured from Jaipur city. The packing of
fish from Jaipur was brought in jute sacks with ice.
With the change of time, the Rohu and Pangas fishes

6. 7
of Andhra made an important place in the fish market
of Rajasthan. Also in packing, the place of jute sacks
was replaced by thermocol boxes. With the
development of of transport facilities, the movement of
fish has started at a rapid pace. This change also
started coming in the fish market of Sikar.
In the year 2012, the work of conversion of
Jaipur-Sikar meter-gauge railway to broad gauge
started. Due to this, the easy arrival of fish from Jaipur
started getting hampered. To solve this problem,
fishermen of "Bissayati Chowk" showed solidarity and
started ordering fish from the Ghazipur fish market in
Delhi by road.Although expensive, at present the
procurement of fish here is being done entirely by road
from Delhi.
Locally produced fishes are not marketed in the fish
market of "Bissayati Chowk". The fish producers of the
local water areas are not even in contact with the fish
shopkeepers of this area. The fish production of the
water areas of the Department of Fisheries is sold to
Delhi or Jaipur markets. The fish of the same
Panchayati pond and ponds built on private land are
sold locally in retail.
In Sikar now fishes from Delhi are brought in air-tight
boxes of thermocol 27 inches in length, 18 inches in
width and 12 inches in height by putting them in ice.
There is a packing of 42-45 kg of fish in a single box.
About 40-45 air-tight coaches of thermocol are brought
by road in a Matador from Delhi.
Due to less demand for fish in the summer season,
only Rohu and Pangas of Andhra are sold in the fish
market of "Bissayati Chowk". However, due to the
increase in the number of Bengali and Bihari workers
in the industrial sector, over the last two years,
Rupchanda has also started being sold. Due to the
high demand for fish during the winter season, along
with Rohu and Pangas, Catla, Mrigal, and Common
Carp are also available to the consumers in the peak
period. In Rajasthan, there is a ban on selling
freshwater fish during the monsoon period due to the
notification of prohibition season. Therefore, during this
period only sea fish is brought from Delhi and sold in
this fish market. Sea fish is also sold in sufficient
quantity during the winter season. The banned Thai
Mangur and the rapidly spreading tilapia in Rajasthan
are not sold in this fish market. in Sikar. Fortunately,
these two exotic fishes have not yet entered the water
areas of Sikar.
In Sikar, only 750 grams to one-kilogram weight of
freshwater fish are preferred among the consumers.
For this reason, only fish of the same weight are sold
in this fish market in Sikar. In May 2022, the price of
Rohu in Bisayati Chowk has been Rs 190-200 per kg.
Whereas pangas was sold at Rs 140-150 per kg.
Roopchanda also traded at Rs 170-180 per kg. There
is an estimate that in this fish market of "Bissayati
Chowk", the consumption of fish is about 1200 to 1500
kg per day during October to February. Whereas in the
remaining period of the year i.e. summer and
monsoon, the daily consumption comes down to only
200 to 500 kg.
The plan of " National Fisheries Development Board"
to develop the wholesale and retail fish markets in
Rajasthan is implemented for the last 10-12 years. In
the year 2020, fisheries-related schemes of other
central departments including this scheme have been
included in "Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana".
The fish sellers can also get the benefit of the "Prime
Minister Street Vendor Grant Scheme". But keeping in
mind the social and political situation of the state, it is a
bit difficult task to implement these attractive schemes
related to the fish market not only in Sikar but in the
entire Rajasthan. Funds in these schemes are
arranged by the State Fisheries Department from the
"National Fisheries Development Board". An adequate
and abundant budget is available with this board for
the establishment and development of the wholesale
and retail fish market in the state. In this scheme, the
responsibility of establishing fish market goes to the
Municipality, Municipal Corporation, and Municipal
Council. The demand of this scheme for the
development of the neat and clean wholesale and
retail market of the is not pursued by the public
representatives of the state at a suitable level.
It is worth mentioning that in the year 2011, the
Fisheries Department of Rajasthan made an effort to
establish a wholesale fish market in Jaipur by
arranging the necessary land from the Animal
Husbandry Department on Agra Road and one crore
rupees from the "National Fisheries Development
Board". But due to public outrage, the state
government had to shelve the plan for the wholesale
fish market. Keeping this experience in mind, it can be
assumed that the scope for improvement in the fish
market in Rajasthan is limited.
Abstracts of new theses:Ph.D.Thesis
Study on Occurrence of Microplastics
in Water, Sediments and Selected
Fishes off Mumbai Coast

7. 8
Udai Ram Gurjar, PhD Scholar,Dr. K. A.
Martin Xavier. MajorAdvisor(Scientist,
FRHPHM Division,ICAR-Central Institute of
Fisheries Education, Mumbai, India- 400 061
*E-mail: urgurjars968@gmail.com
Microplastics (MPs) are anthropogenic pollutants that
can adsorb toxic substances from surrounding water
and enter the fish body. The samples were collected
for accounting microplastics in water, sediments, and
aquatic animals along the Mumbai coast, India, from
September 2018 to March 2020. At the laboratory,
collected water, sediment, fish, and shrimp samples
were subjected to the preservation, measurement,
dissection, digestion, filtration, visual assessment of
MPs, and confirming the plastic polymers. The
abundance of MPs in water and sediment samples
ranged from 149-547 MPs/liter and 4400-15300
MPs/kg dry weight (DW), respectively. The mean
abundance of MPs in surface water, sediments, and
fishes was significantly (P<0.05) higher during the
monsoon season, followed by post-monsoon. The
mean numbers of MPs per individual in gastrointestinal
(GI) tracts were varied from 6.74 ± 2.74 to 9.12 ± 3.17
in pelagic fishes and 5.62 ± 2.27 to 6.91 ± 2.79 in
demersal fishes. MP numbers were dominant
according to their size group viz. <100 µm in white
sardine and oil sardine, 100-250 µm in Belanger
croaker and Golden anchovy 251-500 µm in Bombay
duck and Malabar sole fish. The mean abundance of
MP particles per individual in shrimp species varied
from 5.36 ± 2.81 to 7.40 ± 2.60. MPs size range of
100-250 µmwas dominantly recorded in the GI tracts of
all studied shrimp species, surface water and coastal
sediments. Shape-wise, four types of MPs were
observed; among them, fibers were predominant in the
surface waters, sediments and all studied shrimp and
fish species, except Malabar sole fish, in which
fragment was dominant. Seven different colors of
microplastics (red, blue, black, translucent, brown,
green, and yellow) were observed in the present study.
Based on Raman spectroscopy analysis, eleven types
of plastic polymers were identified from all the
samples. Thus, the presence of MPs in biota indicates
chances of transfer of MPs through interlinked food
chain/web to higher trophic levels. MPs in the fishes
and shrimps GI tracts underline the necessity of more
studies on processing interventions for reducing the
microplastic contamination in fish for human
consumption.
M.F.Sc. Thesis:Growth Performance
of Rohu and Tilapia fingerlings with
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)
plant in Aquaponics
Vikas Kumar Ujjania,M.F.Sc.Research
Scholar,Dr. B.K. Sharma,(Major Advisor),Dean
CoF and Head, Department of Aquaculture,
College of Fisheries, MPUAT, Udaipur
The present research was conducted to observe the
growth performance of rohu and tilapia fingerlings with
tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) plants in aquaponics.
In this experiment the fingerlings of selected fishes and
tomato plants were reared for a period of 60 days and
during this experiment, supplementary feed (groundnut
oil cake, rice bran, wheat flour, and vitamin-mineral
mixture in 40:40:19:1 ratio) was provided. The
experiment was carried out in two treatments (T1 - rohu
and T2 – tilapia reared with tomato plants) and 10
replications in 400 liters capacity tanks were used to
maintain water aeration. The average water quality
parameters including Air temperature (28.7 O
C), Water
temperature (27.12 O
C, 26.83 O
C), pH (7.5, 7.4),
Dissolved oxygen (5.6 mg/l, 5.6 mg/l), Electrical
conductivity (2.261 mS/cm-1
, 2.256 ms/cm-1
), Total
hardness (611.71 mg/l, 608.92 mg/l), Total alkalinity
(112.75 mg/l, 111.21 mg/l), Ammonia (0.002 mg/l,
0.001 mg/l), Nitrate (0.060 mg/l, 0.061 mg/l), and
Nitrite (0.043 mg/l, 0.047 mg/l) in T1 and T2 were
observed during the experimental period. On the other
hand, growth parameters include length gain in T1
(1.074 cm) and T2 (0.935 cm), weight gain in T1 (8.130
gm) and in T2 (4.403 gm), specific growth rate (SGR) in
T1 (1.272) and in T2 (0.845) and feed conversion ratio
(FCR) in T1 (3.536) and in T2 (5.002) were observed
which were found satisfactory. The growth of plant was
11.880 cm. in T1 (rohu rearing tanks) and 8.886 cm. in
T2 (tilapia rearing tanks) which showed that it was
comparatively more in T1. According to the findings of
the current study, it can be concluded that, rohu
fingerlings shown better performance with tomato plant
growth in an aquaponics system with an aqua-friendly
rearing environment.
News from Fisheries College :
PRT visited the College of Fisheries, MPUAT in online
mode on 26 Oct., 2021 Subsequently,.College of
Fisheries, MPUAT accreditation was done by ICAR in
the month of 2021 for 5 yrs.
Convocation was held on 20 Dec., 2021. UG gold
medal Awarded to Miss. Arushi Arya, B. F. Sc.and PG
gold medal to Miss. Ruchika Sharma, M. F. Sc.
(Aquaculture)
One month Industrial Training programme on Fish
processing, packaging and Marketing conducted at
Sailganga EU Exports, Veraval (Gujrat) from
15/02/2022 to 16/03/2022. 23 B. F. Sc. IV Yr.
Students participated in this training programme.

8. 9
10 days Educational tour was organized for 24 B. F.
Sc. III Yr. students from 9/02/2022 to 16/02/2022.
During this tour students visited fisheries installations
in Gujrat.Dr S.K.Sharma(Ex Dean, CoF) and Dr
M.L.Ojha,(Assoc. Prof.) accompanied the students.
7 days Training programme on “ Skill development in
Fish Genetics and Breeding” was held at College of
Fisheries, MPUAT, Udaipur from 14/04/2022 to
20/04/2022 Resource Persons were Dr. Gopal
Krishna,Former Vice Chancellor & Director,CIFE,
Mumbai and Dr. Aparna Choudhary, Head Division of
Fish Genetics & Biotechnology,ICAR, CIFE, Mumbai.
29 B. F. Sc. II Yr. students participated in this training
programme.
Dr Naresh Raj Keer joined as Asst.
Prof. cum Jr Scientist. Date of joining
15th
March,2022.Department-Aquaculture,
College & University- College of
Fisheries, Kishanganj, Bihar Animal
Sciences University, Patna, Bihar.
6 days Training programme on “Value added
products and fortification of low priced fish for
marketing” at College of Fisheries, MPUAT, Udaipur
from 05/05/2022 to 10/05/2022 Resource Persons: Dr.
B. B. Nayak, Head Division of Fish Post Harvest
Technology, ICAR, CIFE, Mumbai and Dr. Amjad
Balange, Principle Scientist, Division of Fish Post
Harvest Technology, ICAR, CIFE, Mumbai 24 B. F. Sc.
III Yr. students participated in this training programme
-Dr B.K.Sharma, Dean, CoF,MPUAT, Udaipur
Achievements:
Dr Niranjan Sarang, Asst. Prof., College
of Fisheries,Kawardha has been
assigned the position of Principal,
Fisheries Polytechnic. He joined this
post on 21 June,2021.
Dr Tarang Shah Joined as Assistant
Professor, Department of Fisheries,
DGCN College of Veterinary and
Animal Science, CSK Himachal
Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidaylya,
Palampur. He joined on 28/12/2021.
Dr Suman Taker joined as Assistant
Professor(Contractual),on 08/11/2021
at College of Fisheries(Dau Shri
Vasudev Chandrakar Kamdhenu
Vishwavidyalaya), Kawardha
(Chhattisgarh) – 491 995.
Dr. Rohitash Yadav did his PhD
degree (Division of Aquaculture) from
ICAR-CIFE, Mumbai has joined as
the Guest faculty at Fisheries
Polytechnic, DSVCKV, Durg,
Chhatisgarh.
New PhD Thesis Submitted:
1.: Effect of Thymus linearis plant extract on
growth and Non-specific immune response of
Endangered golden mahseer (Tor putitora)
against Omycetes Saprolegnia parasitica PhD
thesis submitted by Dr Tarang Shah.
2.Effect of selected medicinal herbs on growth,
immunity and metabolic response of Labeo
rajasthanicus (Datta and Majumdar, 1970) PhD
thesis submitted by Dr Naresh Raj Keer(Date of
award- 1st September, 2021).
3.Species Diversity, Reproductive Biology and
Population Characteristics of Bivalves from the Coastal
Waters of Southern Tamil Nadu by Dr Suman Takar.
4.Study on Occurrence of Microplastics in Water,
Sediments and Selected Fishes off Mumbai Coast by
Dr Udai Gurjar.
35 Kg Catla fish from Rajadera Reservoir District
Dhamtar,CG.Photo courtesy: Dr Tarang Shah

9. 10
New Books:
1. Saral Prayogik Sarovar Vigyan by
M.S.Sharma and L.L. Sharma(In
Press). This hindi book contains
common limnological methods and
brief introduction of certain equipment
and freshwater organisms including
aquatic plants,plankton and selected
lakes.
2. Sarovar Vigyan by Deepika, Modi
Kiran Piyush Bhai and Dr N. Sarang,
Akinik Publications, New Delhi.This
hindi publication attempted to explain
basic facts on various aspects of
Limnology in a simple manner.
This hindi publication is describing
methodology of fish culture in a simple
manner for the benefit of fish
farmers.It is a training book authored
by Dr N.Sarang, Dr K.K.Chodhari and
Dr H.K.Vardia.
New Research Papers:
Chetan K. Garg , Parimal Sardar , Narottam P. Sahu ,
Manas K. Maiti , Naseemashahul Shamna , Tincy
Varghese , Ashutosh D. Deo , Vungarala Harikrishna
(2022).Dietary lysine requirement of genetically
improved farmed tilapia (GIFT) juvenile reared in
inland saline water of 10 ppt salinity. Aquaculture, 555:
738223,1-11.
Gurjar, U.R., Xavier, K.M., Shukla, S.P., Deshmukhe,
G., Jaiswar, A.K. and Nayak, B.B., 2021. Incidence of
microplastics in gastrointestinal tract of golden
anchovy (Coiliadussumieri) from north east coast of
Arabian Sea: The ecological perspective. Marine
Pollution Bulletin, 169, p.112518.
Gurjar, U.R., Xavier, K.M., Shukla, S.P., Jaiswar, A.K.,
Deshmukhe, G. and Nayak, B.B., 2021. Microplastic
pollution in coastal ecosystem off Mumbai coast, India.
Chemosphere, 288, p.132484.
Gurjar, U.R., Xavier, M., Nayak, B.B., Ramteke, K.,
Deshmukhe, G., Jaiswar, A.K. and Shukla, S.P., 2021.
Microplastics in shrimps: a study from the trawling
grounds of north eastern part of Arabian Sea.
Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 28,
48494–48504.
Gurjar, U.R.,Takar, S., Sawant, M.S., Pawar, R.A.,
Nirmale, V.H., Pawase, A.S., Chakraborty, S.K.,
Ramteke, K.K. and Kumawat, T., 2021. Preliminary
observation on the sustainability of white sardine,
Escualosathoracata (Valenciennes, 1847), exploited
from the central west coast of India. The Journal of
Basic and Applied Zoology, 82(1), 1–7.
Kaur, R., Batra, M., Shah, T. K., & Saxena, A. (2022).
Ameliorative effects of dietary Vitamin-C on growth
performance and hemato-biochemical response of
sodium fluoride-intoxicated Amur Carp, Cyprinus
carpio haematopterus. Aquaculture Research, 53,
2895–2909.
Omkar Sahu, Niranjan Sarang,Tameshwar,
Uma,Dewati,Rohitash Yadav and Prerna
Kashti(2022).Scope and cultural prospects of Crab
farming in India.Agri-India TODAY,2(5),58
Ravi Kumar Patel a , A.K. Verma , K.K. Krishnani , K.
Sreedharan , M.H. Chandrakant (2022) Growth
performance, physio-metabolic, and
haemato-biochemical status of Labeo rohita (Hamilton,
1822) juveniles reared at varying salinity levels using
inland saline groundwater.Aquaculture, 559:
738408,1-11.
S. Takar, P. Jawahar, U.R. Gurjar, S.D. Kingston, N.
Neethiselvan, J.J. Pereira, I. Jagadis, 2021. Food and
Feeding Habits of Wedge Clam (Donax cuneatus) Off
Thoothukudi, Gulf of Mannar, India. Indian Journal of
Animal Research. 1-6 (NAAS: 6.40, IF: 0.44)
S. Takar, P. Jawahar, U.R. Gurjar, S.D. Kingston, N.
Neethiselvan, J.J. Pereira, I. Jagadis, 2021.
Length-weight relationships of bivalve species Donax
cuneatus and Meretrix casta along Gulf of Mannar,
Southeast coast of India. Thalassas: An International
Journal of Marine Sciences. 1-7 (NAAS: 6.62, IF: 0.62)
S. Takar, P. Jawahar, U.R. Gurjar, S.D. Kingston, N.
Neethiselvan, J.J. Pereira, I. Jagadis, 2021. Food and
Feeding Habits of Wedge Clam (Donax cuneatus) Off
Thoothukudi, Gulf of Mannar, India. Indian Journal of
Animal Research. 1-6 (NAAS: 6.40, IF: 0.44)
S. Takar, P. Jawahar, U.R. Gurjar, S.D. Kingston, N.
Neethiselvan, J.J. Pereira, I. Jagadis, 2021.
Length-weight relationships of bivalve species Donax
cuneatus and Meretrix casta along Gulf of Mannar,
Southeast coast of India. Thalassas: An International
Journal of Marine Sciences. 1-7 (NAAS: 6.62, IF: 0.62)
________________________________
Compiled and edited for Rajfisheries group for
internal circulation by Dr L.L.Sharma, Prof.&
Dean(Retd.), College of Fisheries, MPUAT,Udaipur)
PN 207 Road 13, Ashok Nagar, Udaipur-313001
(M) 9829230343, (LL)
E mail: llsharma.206@gmail.com