Indigenous technical knowledge in fisheries

Presented By:
Soumyadip Purkait
Faculty of Fishery Sciences
WBUAFS

INTRODUCTION
 The Indigenous technological know how (ITK) in aquaculture
predominantly related to farm inputs has been developed by the farmers
themselves, based on their experiences.
 Farmers innovation is based on their indigenous knowledge. The
indigenous knowledge is the accumulated knowledge, skills & technology of
the local farmer derived from the interaction of the ecosystem.
 In fact the knowledge has been inherited from generation to generation.
This radically change the use of fertilizers and devised some unique right
hand thumb rule for disease diagnosis and treatment without the costly
antibiotics and chemotherapeutic agents which is mostly useful for poor
fish farmers.

•Eco-friendly.
•Economic.
•Involves the use of cheap and
readily available materials and
methods.
•No side effects and exploitation of
normal pond conditions.

Long and broad leaves of ‘coconut’ (cocos nucifera)
or ‘khajur’ (Date palm)are tied to with 2-3 bamboo
poles. The poles are fixed at the pond bottom.
This provides shelter to fishes to overcome hot
summer.

RAW COW DUNG
• Raw cow dung is used to
increase the zooplankton
in the nursery pond as the
spawn or very early fry
feed upon them.
• It is also used to increase
the phytoplankton density
of any pond and increases
the fish production.

APPLICATION OF CATTLE URINE
 It as been seen as a
potential prophylactic
agent against the algal
bloom.
 But now a days using
cattle urine in fish ponds
is band in foreign
countries

BROADCASTING ASH OVER POND
 In this method , paddy straw or hay are
burnt and the ashes are broadcasted over
the pond.
 This is used as a prophylactic measures
to keep out the disease.

Magur and Singhi are two commercially important
cat fishes with high market demand. But the main
problem of these two species is to catch in bulk
because it burrows isside the mud.
Solution :
Before harvesting bushes and leaves are kept in the
water bodies. Then Hing is kept in a cloth and tied.
This is then placed over the bushes which attracts
the fishes. After 5-10 min the bushes is surrounded
by net and fishes are harvested.

PLACING FEED IN GUNNY BAGS
The common method of application of feed in pond
is by broadcasting them over pond as powder or
slurry form. But this method increases the chances
of wastage of food as it suspended in the bottom.
thus the organic load of the pond increased.
But in this method the feed is kept in a gunny bag
and suspended in the water to ensure the effective
utilization of feed from the meshes of the bags
This increases the productivity and decreases the
cost of production as feed (60% of total investment)
wastage is checked

ARGULUS CONTROL BY GUNNY BAG
Farmers keep old gunny bag submerged in pond
water and remove them periodically to dry and kill
eggs of argulus deposited over them.

USING TURMERIC IN PONDS
It has anticancer and antibacterial properties
This is broadcasted as pastes over the water to treat the Aeromonas
hydrophila infection.
Curcumin is the active ingredient in turmeric,which has been shown
to have a wide range of therapeutic effects.
Useful as an external antibiotics in preventing bacterial infection in
wounds.
It is also useful as an external insecticidal and antifungal agent.

USE OF NEEM SEED OIL
Neem seed oil (NSO) is composed of a
complex mixture of biologically active
compounds, azadirachtin is most active
of these. Azadirachtin-A is most
abundant.
There are more than 25 other active
compounds found in neem ,including
vepol and salannin.
Neem oil can also suffocate mites,
whiteflies and other types of soft
bodied insects on contact.

Neem has main modes of action with the primary
role of disrupting an insects metamorphosis.
The principle active ingredient, azadirachtin, acts as
an insects growth regulator (IGR) preventing
exoskeleton development and impeding the
moulting process.

It is used as controlling
agent of weed fish or
predatory fish.
It is use in the pond @ 250
ppm.
As saponin & mourin
present in mohua, and it is
a haematoxin, which
ruptures the RBC and leads
to death of fishes.
USE OF MOHUA :

 Farmers erect vertically in
rural fish ponds plenty of
bamboo sticks driven into
bottom soil .
 Fishes rub their body against
the bamboo sticks. This helps in
removing a large number of ecto
-parasite mainly Argulus from
their body.
USE OF BAMBOO STICKS IN THE POND

SEED COLLECTION
• The fishers collects spawn of murrels
specially channa punctatus from natural
water.
• Spawn of murrel moves in a shoal and
periodically comes to surface for
breathing. The spawn is easily collected
by bamboo sieve or fine mesh clothes like
bath towel (gamcha)

In village fish ponds, pieces of
banana trunks are place afloat to
maintain the alkalinity and to serve
as food supplement.
The pores on the surface on banana
trunk are the opening to the pockets
of oxygen, which ultimately helps to
increasing the oxygen content.
Precautionary measure have to be
taken to remove the trunks before
they get rotten.
USE OF PIECES OF BANANA TRUNKS

USE OF PIECES OF RACHIS OF JACKFRUIT
Farmers utilize the rachis of
jackfruit in the pond for relief from
tadpoles.
The rachis is pulled along through
pond surface.
The tadpoles are attached with the
rachis. Later tadpoles are removed
from the water.

THE PALM LEAF
• The farmers of West Bengal uses
palm leafs in their prawn culture
system because it provides a
better substratum for periphyton
production which used as good
food source.
• The periphyton on the palm leaves
also attract the snail to aggregate
on it & the farmers then remove
the leaves along with the snails.
Thus the snail population in the
pond can be checked.

THE RIPE PALM FRUIT FOR CRAB REDUCTION
• The ripe palm fruit is often
used by the farmers for crab
reduction in the cultured
ponds.
• The smell of the ripe fruits
attracts the crabs and they
aggrates on the fruit to eat
and the farmers remove
them easily by hand or by
scooping.

USE OF NODULAR PLANTS
• The nodular plants are mainly (Family-
Leguminaceae) used to increase the nitrogen
content of the pond by action of nitrifying
bacteria .

USE OF EMPTY EARTHEN POTS
• Empty earthen pots having long necks
are used for removal of crabs from the
shrimp farming ponds.
• Crabs consume most of the feed applied
in a pond for feeding shrimp.
• Empty pots are placed at the bottom of
the shrimp pond at different places
where feed is usually placed.
• After 4-5 days the pots are removed
from the pond which get filled with
crabs.

USE OF WATER HYACINTH
Correct the water quality
Besides rectifying the foul odor
of the water, the plant takes
care of absorbing the heavy
metal particularly Mercury (Hg)
Lead (Pb) and Arsenic (As).
Also it helps in protecting the
dykes from regular erosion due
to the waves.

USAGE OF HARITAKI & KHAYER
Plant extracts from Ascasia
catchu and Terminalia Chebula
During egg fertilization and
after the development of
fertilized egg many spawn die
due to the immature spawn
coming out early from
fertilized egg by the action of
hatching enzyme.
HARITAKI

USE
To solve the problem, local farmers adopt a solution of
2kg Haritaki and 250gm khayer (for 100 l of egg). by
adopting the following procedure :
Mixing the above material in 2 lit water and keeping for
one night.
Heating the mixture for one hour.
Filtering the mixture through fine cloth.

• The mixture is applied to the eggs at the hatchery.
• This is done after 6-8 hours of fertilization and
the fertilized eggs are kept in the mixture for 5
minutes.
• Due to the application of this mixture the outer
membrane of the fertilized egg becomes hard
(because of the presence of tannin) which
increases the hatching time.

Farmers apply milk powder at the time of egg
fertilization .
At the time of fertilization, eggs are sticky and the cell
wall is thin.
Milk powder dissolves the fat soluble sticky substance as
in the case of Cyprinous carpio and Pangasius sp.
‘Ala mati’ is also used for this purpose

• Red soil or laterite soil often known as ‘ALA MATI’.
• It is used for removing the stickiness of the fish
eggs during artificial fertilization by stripping
method.
• During transport of fish seeds alamati is mixed
with the water to prevent them from blister
formation in the direct sun light, which is termed
as ‘sun-cancer’.
• It also reduces the stress of the fish by effecting
the visiualization.

• The farmers use the bottom water for
the breeding of Cyprinous carpio and
other such species in order to get an
optimum temperature for breeding.

• The extracts from Merigold flower is often
used by the ornamental fish farmers or
culturists for the better colorization of the
fish.
• The extract is also sometimes mixed with the
feeds.
• The scientific reason is that the marigold
flower contains caritinoids pigments which is
used for pigment formation in the body.
MARIGOLD FLOWER EXTRACT

• Many fish ponds encounter the
problem of turbidity. To control
persistent clay turbidity the
farmers apply paddy straw.
• When the hay rots, the farmers
periodically remove them from
the pond.
• The method of controlling clay
particle is found to be effective.

• To control leaches the
farmer throw peels of
cucumber or leaves of
bitter gourd made into
paste form.
• This plants materials
are helps in eradication
of leeches.

Plant extract to kill unwanted fish

Harvesting is more effective if the fish
are either tranquilized or anesthetized.
The indigenous communities of
Jharkhand use the fruits of Akashi
(Acacia arabica) plant as a fish
tranquilizer. Those fruits are semi
grinded and mixed with water @ 1kg
per 100 liter and sprinkled over the
water surface. After half and hour fish
start to float on the water surface and
they are collected by netting or hand
picking.

Some farmers of Mathurapur I &
II, south 24 pgs, use the branches
of tamarind and moringa trees for
reducing the water pH. They
apply these branches @ 3-5
pieces of 30-35 cm and keep it for
3-4 days. When the yellowish
colour of water turnoff then they
remove those branches.
Tamarind
Moringa

Although ITK uses locally available resources and cost
effective but some ITK practices leads to deteriorate the
water quality.
ITK practices dose not have any standard guideline and
doses, and vary from farmer to farmer and location to
location.
ITK are mostly not much effective as scientific practices.
LIMITATION

• ITK is such a knowledge is
presumably eco-friendly ;
economic and highly credible
with practical factors
consideration point of view,
without any side effects.
Conclusion
• With the help of beneficial use of
ITK, The state West Bengal having
made immense contribution to
fisheries development of India has
" National Productive award" for the
past fifteen consecutive years.

 Indigenous Technological Knowledge in fish farming by B Goswami, S Mondal &
S.S. Dana Department of Fishery Extension, Department of Fishery Pathology and
Microbiology, Faculty of Fishery Sciences, West Bengal University of Animal & Fishery
Sciences, West Bengal & Bhagaban Kalital, M Choudhury,Central Inland Fisheries
Research Institute, Assam.
 Adikant, P., Nag, S. K., & Patil, S. K. (2011). Traditional fishing techniques of tribes
in Bastar region of Chhattisgarh.
 Indigenous Technical Knowledge in Fisheries Sector of Northern and Central Region
of India- Arpita Sharma, Rupam Sharma, S.P. Shukla, Paramita B. Sawant
 Kalita, B., Dutta, A., Bhagabati, S. K., & Sharma, A. (2010). Indigenous technical
knowledge for fish harvesting in Karbi-anglong district of Assam.
 Srivastava, S. K., Sarkar, U. K., & Patiyal, R. S. (2002). Fishing methods in streams
of the Kumaon Himalayan region of India.
 Lalthanzara, H., & Lalthanpuii, P. B. (2009). Traditional fishing methods in rivers and
streams of Mizoram, north-east India. Science Vision, 9(4), 188-194.
 Lalthanzara, H., & Lalthanpuii, P. B. (2009). Traditional fishing methods in rivers and
streams of Mizoram, north-east India. Science Vision, 9(4), 188-194.
 Kalita, B., Choudhury, M., & Ojha, S. N. (2004). Indigenous technical knowledge on
pond construction and maintenance, fish seed transportation, and fish health management
in Assam hills.

Indigenous technical knowledge in fisheries

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