Rain revives fish farming in irrigation tank near Tiruvannamalai

Fish farming in an irrigation tank, which is maintained by the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA), at Melathikkan village near Tiruvannamalai town has been revived for the season due to rain in recent weeks, resulting in steady rise of waterflow to the tank.

Accompanied by Collector K. Tharpagaraj, Minister for Public Works and Highways E.V. Velu released young fish in the tank on Wednesday as part of fish cultivation by farmers in the region.

Officials of the Tamil Nadu Fisheries Development Corporation (TNFDC), which maintains fish farms in the district, said that fish cultivation, including harvesting, is done during May to August due to the steady reduction of hot weather and gradual rise in water level due to south-west monsoon.

These months also help to retain adequate oxygen in the farming area of the tank due to slow evaporation. Also, as the water level is almost steady, fishing in the waters in the tank remains safe for fishermen. “Local fishermen from the neighbouring Edapalayam village have been doing the job for many years. Such roping of local skilled workers helps to prevent poaching and also provides jobs for them,” S. Velan, Assistant Director (AD), Department of Fisheries (Tiruvannamalai), told The Hindu.

At Melathikkan tank, Catla, Roya and Mithila are the preferred freshwater fish varieties that are cultivated with acumen, involving local fishermen and officials of the fisheries department. These fish varieties were chosen at least for two reasons - speedy growth and good taste, especially for spicy fish curries. They weighed over one kg in three months after they were left in the tank. As per norms, each hectare of tank area, on average, should release around 2,000 fish should be released to maintain the fish growth in the tank. In other words, 60% of the total area of the tank should be the total number of fish released.

Divided into forenoon and afternoon, fishing in the tank will be done by 18 units of local fishermen, closely monitored by the officials. Each unit has at least two fishermen in a coracle with a target of 20kg per team everyday.

In other words, fishing in the tank should yield at least 0.5 tonnes (500 kgs) daily especially during the peak month of August. These fishermen are paid on a daily basis. Of the total catch, one-third goes for local consumption with the rest goes to the government-run stalls and buyers in the State.