KOCHI: Fresh fish is fast becoming a reality for Kochiites with more than 400 cage farms coming up in and around the city. A good many are there right in the backwaters and near the islands including Kadamakudy, Pizhala and Vypin.Stretching right up to the end of the district till Kottapuram in Thrissur are another 100 cages.All you need is about Rs 3-4 lakh in investment and with all the subsidies that have been announced, it is going to become much more economical. Farmers say it requires no extra investment till harvest. “The fish is sold fresh and often at fairs. Invitations are sent to resident associations and on media. The farmers sell their own stuff and there are no middlemen involved. The unsold fish are put back into the cages,” said Imeld Joseph, head, mariculture division, Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), whose team helps in setting up the cages and trains the farmers in the business.She says that though cage farming was introduced in 2009, it is from 2015 that the cage culture started catching up. The price of the same variety of fish vary when compared with those caught otherwise. For instance, pearl spot costs about Rs 400 when it is supplied from farms while it is more than Rs700 when it is caught by other means of fishing from backwaters. This is one reason why people are increasingly opting for fresh fish from cage farming.Cage farming also offers the farmers a chance to utilize the existing water resources which are not used for other purposes. All these factors together have helped increase the popularity of cage farming among both researchers as well as commercial producers.The farming season is mostly from the month of June to April. Mullets, tilapia, pearl spot and milkfish are among those which are commonly grown in these farms.The Krishivigyan Kendra (KVK), which works with the farmers, organizes what is called as the farmgate market organized during festive seasons or once a month and people can literally get the produce directly from the farms.“We help the farmers form small companies and they manage all the aspects of the farming,” said Shinoj Subramannian, head, KVK.Hence, farmers have learnt to fix the rates, which are reasonable. “We have no worries about losses. If it is not sold, they are put back into the cages,” said a farmer.One of the main worries of farmers is the increasing pollution in rivers, including Periyar. “When industry units dump chemicals, it will kill our fish as well,” said Sreekumar, another farmer.“Cage farming helps clear the water pollution because people in the particular area get more watchful. Of course, during the monsoon, there is the threat of opening of dams which could result in floods that wash away the cages,” said Imelda Joseph.The farmers are also provided information about fish feed and their growth. One kg fish feed costs around Rs 40 and the protein content in the feed is around 35-38%. At later stages of growth, the protein content is reduced to around 24%. A major threat in fish farming is that diseases could spread across the water bodies and kill the entire lot. But with an alert national and international fish disease network, farmers say they aren’t a worried lot. After all, it is a risk that can come up with any kind of farming.

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