Harvest of associated wild-fish assemblages in estuarine cage farms:udImplications for farm management and livelihood

摘要

Sea-cage farms form attractive habitats for wildfishudpopulations as they directly provide food-chainudsupport to the fish community through excess feedudand organic wastes from the sea cages. They alsoudsupport wild-fish assemblages indirectly byudenhancing plankton productivity and providingudsubstrate for biofouling communities. In cagefarmingudoperations, the farmers realise the majorudshare of the revenue at the end of the farmingudseason during harvest of farmed fishes. Aquafarmersudin Karnataka engaged in farming fishes inudcages effectively utilized such ichthyofaunaludaggregations around net-cages. This study wasudconducted at Yedamavinahole, Karnataka whereudseabass (Lates calcarifer) was reared in rectangularudcages. Modified shore seines known as ‘Iliyabalae’,udwhich are commonly operated near rocky areas forudfinfishes and shellfishes, in the region are used forudharvesting the wild-fish assemblages in the closeudproximity of fish cages. Details of gear, fishingudoperations, the composition of wild-fish around theudnet-cages and average income generation from theudIliyabalae operations are presented.