Dileep V Kumar By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Lending a helping hand to aqua farmers in protecting the health of rearing stock, the Fisheries Department will set up an Aquatic Animal Health Centre at Odayam in Varkala here. The centre that will come up at the Multi-Species Shrimp Hatchery Complex will be operated by the Agency for the Development of Aquaculture Kerala. According to the Fisheries Department, the centre with the help of recent advancements in marine biotechnology will make interventions in protecting the health of aquatic animals and their environment by transfer of technology to the aqua farmers. “The draft fisheries policy 2019 had envisaged the setting up of such a centre in all the districts. For setting up the centre at Odayam, assistance of Rs 88.43 lakh has also been sanctioned,” said an officer of the Fisheries Department. At the same time, as per the project proposal submitted by the Fisheries Director to the government, it has been mentioned that the centre while ensuring the surveillance of fish/shrimp disease in the state is also entrusted to provide adequate and timely information about the outbreak of the disease. The other major objectives of the project includes: To assist farms and hatcheries in government sector for the procurement of good quality seeds, to provide test facility and service to the farmers regarding water quality management, to make the farming community aware about the possibility of disease in seed procurement, to increase fish/shrimp production and thereby increase per capita income of the farmers and others. The Aquatic Animal Health Centre will be equipped with facilities including water quality analysis, microbiology and histopathology, PCR laboratory and others.

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