November 27, 2023

Experts promote floating fish feed for enhanced aquaculture nutrition in Nagapattinam, India

In a bid to improve nutritional intake and digestion for aquaculture in the coastal delta region, experts from Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), part of India's National Agricultural Research System, have promoted the use of floating fish feed in Nagapattinam town, Tamil Nadu, The New Indian Express reported.

According to E Hino Fernando, a fisheries extension expert at KVK-Sikkal, feeding fish in a floatable form increases the probability of consumption, allowing farmers to precisely measure the feed consumed.

Traditionally, farmers in the coastal delta region have been using groundnut oil cake mixed with rice bran as feed for farm fish. However, this conventional method has drawbacks, as the feed sediments underwater, leading to reduced consumption by aquatic organisms and negatively impacting water quality. To address this, experts recommend the use of floating fish feed, which is tailored to meet the nutritional requirements of the cultured fish.

The composition of the floatable feed includes ingredients such as groundnut, gingelly oil cake, rice bran, fish meal, fish oil, wheat meal, soybean meal, peanut meal, rapeseed meal, yeast powder, and rice straw powder. Local fish farmers, recognising the potential benefits, have expressed willingness to adopt float feeding to enhance the growth rates of their fish and achieve earlier harvests.

-      The New Indian Express