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Capacity Building in Inland Fisheries: ICAR-CIFRI Trains Fish Farmers from Purnea, Bihar

12^th January, 2025
Barrackpore, Kolkata, West Bengal

A seven-day training programme on “Inland Fisheries Management” was successfully conducted for 30 fish farmers from Purnea district, Bihar, during January 6–12, 2026. Sponsored by the State Fisheries Department, the programme aimed to strengthen technical knowledge and practical skills of rural fish farmers through scientifically proven best practices for sustainable fisheries development. Organized under the overall guidance of Dr. B. K. Das, Director, ICAR–Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute (ICAR-CIFRI), the programme was formally inaugurated by Dr. Das in the presence of Dr. Archana Sinha (Head), Dr. S. Samanta, Dr. R. K. Manna, and Dr. S. K. Manna. In his inaugural address, Dr. Das highlighted the pivotal role of capacity building in enhancing fish production, ensuring environmental sustainability, and improving the socio-economic status of fishers, while aligning such initiatives with the national vision of doubling farmers’ income.

The comprehensive curriculum covered inland open-water ecology and fisheries, sediment and water chemistry, pond management, natural fish food organisms, aquaculture species suitable for Bihar, culture-based capture fisheries in wetlands, ornamental fisheries, feed management, fish health and disease control, economic evaluation, and the application of drone technology for farm monitoring. Special emphasis was placed on sustainable wetland management, community-based governance, habitat improvement, scientific stocking, and production enhancement. Sessions on breeding protocols, broodstock management, and hatchery operations focused on ensuring year-round availability of quality seed.

Participants received extensive hands-on training at the Institute’s ornamental hatchery, feed mill, and fish processing units, including water quality analysis, preparation of balanced feed using local ingredients, value addition, and disease diagnostics. Field visits to the East Kolkata Wetlands, Kalyani Fish Farm, a feed mill, and the ICAR-CIFE Kolkata Regional Centre provided practical exposure to diverse aquaculture systems and value-addition technologies. Feedback indicated high satisfaction, with trainees reporting improved understanding and confidence to implement the practices on their farms and share knowledge within their communities. The programme was supervised by Dr. Aparna Roy, coordinated by Dr. Kavita Kumari and supported by, Mr. Sujit Choudhury (CTO), and Mr. Manabendra Roy (TO), Mr. Asim Jana, Ms. Sadrupa Bhowmik.