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Upgradation of knowledge and skills of the fishers of Seohar district, Bihar through on-campus training

Barrackpore, 3-9^th January, 2024
When it comes to inland open water resources like rivulets, reservoirs, canals, chaurs, and mauns, the Sheohar district in Bihar is incredibly resourceful. In the Sheohar district, there is a shortage of fish despite the abundance of aquatic resources. In keeping with the goal of improving the knowledge and abilities of the fishers of Seohar District , ICAR-CIFRI, Barrackpore, has conducted a seven-day training program on "Inland Fisheries Management" from January 3–9, 2024, with an emphasis on improving production and ensuring livelihood security.

This training program was attended by 30 active fish farmers. The Institute's Director, Dr. B.K. Das, placed special emphasis on the fishermen's knowledge-based skill development regarding multiple aspects of the inland fisheries production system and management, which will secure their sustainable livelihood. He believed that to maximize production and productivity, fishermen needed to acquire scientific information and apply it to their resource exploration. Dr. Das also gave the trainees information on the emerging opportunities for entrepreneurship in India's inland fisheries.

Untapped potential is abundant in this district for inland fisheries development, which might raise living standards. The goal of this training program was to bridge the attitude, skill, and knowledge gaps that existed between inland fishery administration and farmers. Lectures on a wide range of topics were covered in the coursework, including how to construct and maintain ponds, the chemistry of soil and water, induced breeding, nursery and rearing pond management, transporting live fish seeds, composite fish farming, ornamental fisheries, enclosure culture, fish feed management, disease management, zero budget natural farming, inland fisheries and climate change, economic evaluation, and a general overview of the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojona, along with showcasing the CIFRI products.
Field trips included visits to the ICAR-CIFA Kalyani Fish Farms, the East Kolkata Wetlands (EKW), the ornamental fish market, and the Halisahar fish farm. Participants had access to the Institute's Recirculatory Aquaculture System (RAS), Bio-floc units, ornamental hatchery units, and feed mill in addition to receiving hands-on training on a wide range of topics targeted to specific needs, such as basic water quality parameters, the preparation of fish feed using easily available feed ingredients, the identification of fish pathogens and their respective remedial measures, etc.

During the feedback session, it appeared that the trainees were generally satisfied with the newly acquired information, which would be very helpful in their future activities. Dr. B.K. Das, director of the institute, encouraged the farmers to apply what they had learned to improve their level of production integration. Dr. Aparna Roy and Dr. Dibakar Bhakta coordinated the training program, with assistance from Mr. Y. Ali, Kausik Mondal, Sujit Chowdhury, and Manabendra Roy.