Health management issues in the development of mariculture: an Indian perspective- Winter School on Recent Advances in Breeding and Larviculture of Marine Finfish and Shellfish

Abstract

Achieving food safety in terms of valuable protein for the ever growing population of Indian subcontinent is a major challenge in the 21st century. In this endeavour ‘Aquafarming’ is to play a major role, as agriculture and animal husbandry has been slowing down in growth. The strength of Indian aquaculture lies in (a) large water bodies suitable for aquaculture, (b) tropical Climate, (c) species diversity and (d) availability of cheap labour. While the weakness include (a) unregulated development, (b) disease problems and (c) lack of scientific approaches. It is estimated that about 5 million tones of aquatic animal products can be produced annually through aquaculture in India