Pond-Based Nursery Rearing of Cobia (Rachycentron canadum) for Production of Cage-Stockable Juveniles

Vikas, P A and Tamilmani, G and Sakthivel, M and Ramesh Kumar, P and Naveen Kumar, B T and Sankar, M and Bavithra, R and Rao, Hanumantha and Vinod, K (2026) Pond-Based Nursery Rearing of Cobia (Rachycentron canadum) for Production of Cage-Stockable Juveniles. ICAR- Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Mandapam.

Text CMFRI Pamphlet Series No.180_2026_Vikas P A.pdf Download (23MB)

Abstract

Cobia (Rachycentron canadum) is a fast-growing marine finfish with high market demand and excellent suitability for sea-cage aquaculture. The minimum size required to commence cage aquaculture is approximately 15 cm in length and 25 g in body weight. They can reach 3 to 4 kg over a culture period of about 6 to 8 months under cage-farming conditions with proper feeding and management strategies. However, producing juveniles of stockable size from ~1 g using existing technologies requires large-scale infrastructure and intensive management, limiting the scope for rapid expansion of cobia aquaculture. The present technology provides a pond-based hapa nursery rearing protocol to rear hatchery-produced fry (~1-2 g) into cage-stockable juveniles within ~28 days under controlled pond conditions. The approach offers a practical and scalable alternative to conventional tank-based nursery systems.

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