The Fisheries Mapping Project, initiated by the Bengal government to augment fish productivity in the state, has started producing results as the Fisheries department has successfully identified the waterbodies that can be utilised for pisciculture.
Under the project, the state Fisheries Department has developed a comprehensive digitised data bank through which one can have detailed information on the total number of waterbodies above five cottah, their nature and feasibility of pisciculture in these waterbodies.
The department will also have information about the location and connectivity of the concerned waterbodies. The digitised data bank will also provide information related to ponds which could be or were used for pisciculture, and how to increase the productivity of these waterbodies. It will also help to know whether a particular water body is worthy of being declared fit for pisciculture.
The Zilla Parishad appointed staff and workers of the Fisheries department have examined nearly 17,90,425 ponds in all districts across the state and prepared reports on their condition.
The department has taken help of Global Positioning System (GPS) to prepare a comprehensive data.
The project is helping various other government departments as they can also use the information related to ponds and waterbodies and their condition by going through the data bank that has been prepared.
It may be mentioned that the Fisheries Mapping Project, initiated by the Trinamool Congress-led Bengal government, has been declared as a model project by the Centre.
The Union Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries was convinced after going through the project's details and seeing its progress. The Ministry also asked many other states to replicate the Bengal project model and adopt it accordingly.
According to a senior official of the state Fisheries department, after being recommended by the Centre, many states including Chattisgarh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh have started similar projects to improve the production of fishes.
The Centre had urged the Bengal government to share its expertise with other states that are following this model for the improvement of pisciculture.
Senior project officials from Bengal have been visiting other states to provide technical guidance by sharing thoughts and expertise, so that these states can smoothly implement their project.
A senior official of the Fisheries Mapping Project said that as per "recommendation by the Central government to replicate our model
project of Fisheries Mapping, many states have come forward in adopting the Bengal model. We are providing them technical support as they are still on the learning curve."
The official also said that since the implementation of the project, pisciculture is being practised in a more effective way.
People involved in pisciculture now have the knowledge about the nature of waterbodies they are using for cultivation.
If a person applies for a bank loan to start pisciculture, the government will know whether there was any previous loan for that pond and whether it is fit for pisciculture.
The project will also help to prevent filling up of waterbodies across the state.