CMFRI Vizag succeeds in seed production of John's snapper fish

In a major breakthrough that can boost the mariculture, Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) successfully managed to produce seedlings of John's snapper fish variety. The fish variety is a commercially viable species which could fetch a handsome price in the market. The fish, ideal for cage fish farming of marine fishes after sea bass and cobia, is produced in an artificial environment for the first time in the country.

Visakhapatnam: Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute at Visakhapatnam has succeeded in the seed production of John's snapper locally known as 'appalu' fish. The marine fish seedlings were developed in an artificial environment for the first time in the country and would be a profitable fish variety under mariculture.

John's snapper (Lutjanus johnii)is a commercially viable fish fetching anywhere between Rs 400 to 450 per kg in local markets. The fish variety is widely distributed across the Indo West-Pacific region. But fishing the species is challenging because it mostly dwells under the coral reef and deep seas.

CMFRI under its project titled ‘Developing a New Candidate Species for Mariculture: Marine Finfish John's Snapper' under DBT funding in 2018 - 19. More than 20 male and female fish of this species were caught from the sea for breeding. CMFRI Scientists Dr Ritesh Ranjan, Dr Shekar Megharajan, Dr BG Javier, Dr Shubhdeep Ghosh have involved in the research for the last ten months.

After caught from the wild, the fishes were acclimatized and were fed with squid. The scientists also studied Gonadal profile of the fishes routinely using live ovarian biopsy. Once the ova size of females was found to be optimum, females and males were injected with hormones inducing them for spawning.

About 20,000 fish have survived as a result of the technologies developed by scientists. They made it sure for the experiment is successful as they survived from two months. Each fish is expected to gain three to three-and-a-half kilograms in weight.

'This is the first report of successful broodstock development, induced breeding and seed production of John’s snapper (Lutjanus johnii) under confinement in the country', according to CMFRI.

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