Journal of Fisheries

Social values of angling tourism in the Garo Hills of Meghalaya, North East India: fish farmers’ perspectives

Annastaycya Simsang Sangma — 2025-03-18

Angling tourism is gaining popularity and offers an alternative livelihood opportunity for the fish farmers of the Garo Hills region of Meghalaya, India. This research aims to provide insights into the social value of angling tourism among the fish farmers involved in angling tourism in the area and to identify its determinants. A sample of one hundred fish farmers was selected using snowball sampling from five districts of the Garo Hills, and data were collected using a semi-structured interview schedule. Most farmers considered fisheries a secondary occupation and were sceptical of angling tourism. The multiple stepwise regression analyses revealed that entry fees for daily angling besides competition and secondary occupation negatively impacted social value scores. In contrast, the educational status of fish farmers, annual investment in angling tourism, fish farming experience, total registered anglers annually, and family type positively impacted social value scores. The study confirmed that angling tourism fosters sustainable development within rural communities by nurturing social values and augmenting biodiversity conservation, and economic benefits. Overall, the study provides valuable information on the scope and prospects of angling tourism in leveraging social values and its potential to uplift rural people's social and financial status.

Comparative efficacy of different doses of inducing agent on breeding performance of a near threatened catfish pabda (Ompok bimaculatus Bloch, 1794) in West Bengal, India

Samiran Patra — 2025-03-10

In India, diversification in shrimp culture area is required due to climate changes, fluctuation in resources, and its marginal profit. Near Threatened pabda (Ompok bimaculatus) may be an alternative aquaculture species which can fulfil all the demands for the shrimp farmers. In this study, healthy, disease-free, 12-month reared brood fishes were collected and stocked in eight tanks (8×4×2 feet) sex wise (130 pairs) with shower facilities. Synthetic hormone was used to induce both male and female fishes at 0.3 and 0.6 ml (T1); 0.5 and 0.7 ml (T2) and 0.7 and 0.8 ml (T3) kg^-1 body weight (bw) respectively, having 3 replicates for each treatment. Ovulation period (7 to 11 hours), relative fecundity (105.20±39.93 eggs g^–1 bw of female), fertilization rates (67.37±20.73 to 75.88±24.84%), hatching rates (62.57±18.46 to 79.67±26.68%) and survival rates (55.01±14.93 to 65.62±19.91%) were observed. Among treatments, T2 exhibited better breeding performance but no significant differences with other treatments were observed. Important water quality parameters like temperature (28.27±1.68°C), pH (7.10±0.44), dissolved oxygen (4.25±0.37 mg L^–1), hardness (210.96±9.31 mg L^–1) and alkalinity (202.78±8.00 mg L^–1) were also recorded during this experiment. After 48 hours of hatching, hatchlings were reared in aerated tanks for another four days with close observation and fries were harvested 24 days of rearing. From the present experiment, T2 exhibited best effective dose for successful induced breeding of pabda.

Identification, isolation and pathogenicity of Aeromonas salmonicida and his-topathology of infected Oncorhynchus mykiss in Punjab and northern areas of Pakistan

Muhammad Akram — 2025-02-15

Aeromonas salmonicida causes furunculosis in the Oncorhynchus mykiss (rainbow trout) and the effective control over this infection requires knowledge of the genetic variability and epidemiology of A. salmonicida. Pathogenic strains were isolated from kidneys, muscles, liver and spleen of rainbow trout from the provinces, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan. On the base of 16S rRNA sequencing, physiological and biochemical characterization, isolated bacterial strains were identified as A. salmonicida (NCBI Ref. ArS-Pak-19 [MW307221], ArS-Pak- GB1-19 [MW720959], ArS-Pak-MRE-19 [MW720960], ArS-Pak-SW2-19 [MW720961], ArS-SW1-Pak-19 [MW720962]). Isolated strains were resistant to antibiotics like sulfamethoxazole, penicillin, vanomycine, rifampicin and bacitracin but were extremely sensitive to spectinomycin, ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, levofloxacin and nalidixic acid. To check out the pathogenicity, rainbow trout were experimentally infected with isolated strains. Experimental fishes showed the same symptoms as were recorded in naturally infected fish including jaw bleeding, intra-abdominal fluid, intestinal bleeding and gill filament anemia. After ten days of post-challenge study, histopathological analysis revealed that there were severe alterations in the spleen, liver and kidney of the infected fish. The present study provides further research foundation and for upcoming research on A. salmonicida disease, its control and epidemiology.

Advancing fishing technology education and research: a 65-year legacy at Nha Trang University, Vietnam

Khanh Quoc Nguyen — 2024-12-22

As a coastal country, Vietnam relies on marine exploitation for food security and livelihoods. Training human resources to research, exploit, and manage marine resources is an important strategy to maintain rapid and sustainable economic growth and development. Official training in fishing technology at Nha Trang University (NTU) started in 1959. With 65 years of teaching, the unique program only offered at NTU, has made significant contribution to social-economic development in general and sustainable marine fisheries in particular. In this paper, we review the major achievements in teaching and scientific research in fishing technology at NTU as well as highlight the challenges and progress. Over the years, thousands of students have been trained under the fishing technology program and they then have worked all over the country, working in fisheries management, science, and services. Hundreds of research projects and peer-reviewed papers have been conducted and published. Those have supported fishing efficiency, environmentally friendly fishing methods, and effective management. However, the number of fishing technology students has decreased during the past few years because of unfavorable study and working environments where students are often exposed to commercial fishing vessels that frequently operate under rough weather conditions. Despite challenges and difficulties, NTU is determined to maintain the program to support the ocean economic development of the nation.

Molecular characterization based on cytochrome C oxidase I gene of the family Channidae from different riverine systems of Odisha, India

Sanmitra Roy — 2024-12-07

This study focuses on four Channa species from the northern part of the Eastern Ghats in India: Channa punctata (Bloch, 1793); Channa striata (Bloch, 1793); Channa marulius (Hamilton, 1822) and Channa gachua (Hamilton, 1822). The aim is to determine whether their molecular divergence aligns with their morphological distinctiveness. The molecular analysis based on mitochondrial COI gene sequences revealed distinct clusters for each species and genus, with K2P distances ranging from 17.28 – 27.96%. Notably, C. marulius was positioned in a distinct clade separate from the C. punctata, C. striata, and C. gachua groups. Channa gachua clustered with Channa rara and Channa kelaartii, suggesting a close evolutionary relationship. Channa punctata and C. striata also clustered together, reinforcing their status as sister species. Species delimitation using the Assemble Species by Automatic Partitioning method identified 10 partitions, with the most reliable delimitation showing a clear separation of Channa species of Odisha. These findings align with recent analyses and confirm that the molecular divergence among the four species is consistent with their morphological differences. The study underscores the importance of molecular methods in resolving taxonomic ambiguities and understanding species diversity. It provides a foundational molecular database for Channa species, supporting future research on genetic divergence and contributing to conservation and aquaculture efforts.