Cage aquaculture of Indian pompano for livelihood diversification of artisanal fishers: Insights from Andhra Pradesh, India

Artisanal fishers fishing in nearshore coastal waters off Visakhapatnam using motorised crafts and in estuaries of Krishna using non-motorised crafts were selected for the study. Their annual net operating income varied between US$ 469.63 (39,040) and US$ 2698.42 (2,24,320), respectively. Inspired by the potential of cage farming from the frontline demonstrations in marine and estuarine waters and after acquiring appropriate skills, 15 individuals from the Traditional Fishermen's Co-operative Society, Visakhapatnam and 76 individuals from Yanadri Girijana Matsya Sakhara Sangam, Krishna embarked on cage aquaculture of Indian pompano in 15 and 70 cages, respectively. Marine cages were circular (6 m diameter) and estuarine cages were square (5 m X 5 m), and were stocked with hatchery-produced Indian pompano (Trachinotus mookalee) fingerlings of 22.6 g weight @ 2500 and 1500 numbers respectively, and were fed with floating pellets at 8-3% of biomass. Average body weight, survival and biomass production from marine and estuarine cages after eight months of culture were 843 and 666 g, 96.28 and 91.47% and 2029.0 and 913.85 kg respectively. Deducting all capital and operational expenses, annual net operating income per unit ranged from US$ 1247.44 (1,03,700) to US$ 2632.02 (2,18,800); which represented a substantial increase from that of capture fishery. Cluster-cage farming, as adopted, did not adversely impact the water and sediment quality. The current research offers novel insights into the bio-growth and economic factors pertinent to commercial cage farming of Indian pompano. Cage farming in marine and estuarine conditions holds a great promise as an alternative source of livelihood for artisanal fishers, thereby bolstering their economic sustainability.