Nisha Chettri

Kalimpong January 16:
A five days training programme on Fisheries began here on Friday at Darjeeling Krishi Vigyan Kendra organized by the Directorate of Coldwater Fisheries and Research (Bhimtal) and GTA. Eight officers from eight different blocks within the GTA area attended the training on Jhora fisheries, informed the chief executive officer of Fish and Farmers Development Agency (FFDA) Sonam Tshewang.
More than 40 people attended the training which was conducted by mentors like Dr. Debajit Sharma, S.K Gupta and Dr. Ritesh S.Tandel all from ICAR-Directorate of Cold water Fisheries and Research. Dr. Debajit Sharma reportedly threw light on the importance of fisheries where the main code explained by him was to culture cold water fishes in familiar environmental condition by stocking smaller size of local fishes in exhumed ponds or jhoras which is to be fed by perennial spring water, continuously.
The motive of the training was also elucidated by Sharma which is to educate people from the hills in Fishery management and to develop them economically.
He said, “Preserving the endangered species of fish is very essential in the hills and this is another motive of the training”.
The experts said that there is higher possibility of raising fish in the hills but a proper water source essential for the development in fishery is equally important.
Among the varieties of fishes that is possible to raise in the hills are Katla which is very suitable species for commercial fish farming in many South
Asian countries, Grass carp- a herbivorous fresh water fish which belongs to the family of cyprinidae, (the only species of the genus ctenopharyngodon) and Common carp fish which is a widespread fresh water fish found in eutrophic waters in lakes and large rivers in Europe and Asia.