Nagaland: Netting the untapped potential of aquaculture

Our Reporter
Dimapur, Dec. 19 (EMN): Aquaculture or fish farming in Nagaland is an entrepreneurial venture not many people pursue, but 34-year-old Yarangjang Imchen from Dimapur is trying to tap its potential with the rising demand for fish in the state.

What started as a hobby two years ago with a single fish tank, Yarangjang Imchen is now running more than 50 tanks on Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS).

His passion for aquaculture grew  when he bought a guppy fish in 2018; he then started doing research online following which he bought more tanks and sourced fish from Kolkata, Kerala, Bengaluru, Dimapur pet store and also imported from Thailand (mainly bloodstock) for breeding purposes.      

Nagaland, he observed, has a lot of potential for aquaculture particularly Dimapur because of the favourable climatic conditions and the rising demand for fish, which are mostly imported from other states.

Yarangjang Imchen has a degree in Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA) and is a former graphic designer. He is currently involved in the IT sector and business, and said that aquaculture is not a fulltime job but his passion and wide knowledge on fish says otherwise.

Speaking to Eastern Mirror, Imchen said there were a number of schemes available under the Central government. However, despite applying for a scheme earlier, he ‘didn’t get much (help) from the concerned department’.

 “To apply for the scheme, one has to go through a lot of complicated paperwork. For example most of the fish farmers are uneducated. How can an uneducated farmer submit such complicated, detailed project reports if the department isn’t willing to guide us? Moreover, I don’t see any start-up of ornamental, RAS, Biofloc or any such systems in Nagaland, I wonder where all the funds disappear,” he questioned.

As a part time venture with a small setup for ornamental fish farming, one can easily earn INR 10,000-20,000 per month, Imchen said.

Giving an insight on his daily activities, Imchen explained that he monitors the quality of the water as temperature and dissolved oxygen allow farmers to flag up any abnormalities that might affect the fish. Secondly, he checks the plumbing, the filtration system and makes sure there is uninterrupted flow of water, followed by feeding the fish. The day ends with a second feeding in the evening and a final safety check of the entire system.

“It’s a small setup, 50×30 feet approximately. The farm is divided into two sections- the ornamental fish section and the commercial section. In the ornamental section, currently I am breeding Tetras, Danios, Guppies, Oscars, Goldfish, Gouramis and Bettas. In the commercial section, earlier I have tried freshwater prawns, Pangasius and currently I am farming crayfish,” he shared.

His aquaculture has been set up at the backyard of his house located at Kevijau colony in Dimapur.

Imchen shared that in the ornamental section, he has tried to breed particular fishes which are in high demand at the local aquarium stores.

‘I chose crayfish in the commercial section because of their fast growth, high retail value and the growing demand for seafood in the state’, he added. 

On the selection of the breed of fish for those interested in venturing into aquaculture, he recommended starting with a small setup and the least demanding fish breeds like guppies and pangasius.

“Without any experience, mistakes are bound to happen and your entire stock might die off in a matter of hours, so selecting a disease resistant and hardy fish is crucial if you are new to aquaculture,” he shared.

Imchen said that at present he supplies mostly ornamental fish to other districts in the state and to some pet stores in Dimapur, while he delivers all over Nagaland on order.

Elaborating on the maintenance, he explained that closed systems like the RAS require constant monitoring and sufficient power backup. It requires regular cleaning of the entire plumbing and the filtration system. Draining the bottom sludge from the tanks must be done every week to prevent anaerobic bacteria from inhibiting, thus preventing diseases. Checking the water quality for PH, dissolved oxygen, ammonia and turbidity must be done every day, he said.

Further, he reiterated that a closed fish farming system requires constant monitoring and high maintenance, adding that ‘it is not an easy job’.

“Since the fishes are reared in an artificially controlled environment, we are responsible for the overall conditions that will affect the fish health and growth,” he said.

According to Imchen, the advantages of RAS fish farming includes a fully controlled environment for the fish, low water use, efficient energy use, efficient land use, optimal feeding strategy, easy grading and harvesting of fish, full disease control and high production in a small area.

For those interested in venturing into aquaculture, Imchen shared that it was not a hard task but learning from experiences, including trial and error and a lot of research online, would be the starting point.

One can visit Imchen’s aquarium (imchens_aquafarm) on Instagram to be familiar with the breeds of fish and the passion Imchen exhibits.