Field visit to mussel and cage culture units in Jaigad estuary

    A field day and farmer-scientist interaction was organized at Jaigad estuary, Kudali village, Ratnagiri coastal district, Maharashtra on 19 January 2025. Shri. Siddhesh, a progressive fish farmer operate cage culture and mussel culture in the Jaigad estuary. The farmer is currently supported and guided by the Mangrove Foundation of Maharashtra. The seeds for the mussel culture were sourced from Kerala and a total of 120 ropes are currently deployed following the raft culture method. Dr Sreekanth GB, Senior Scientist (FRM), ICAR-CCARI, Goa interacted with the farmer and suggested to diversify the activities including integrated fish farming, integrated multi-trophic aquaculture, livestock rearing and agriculture. He has also assured the scientific and technical guidance in cage culture of seabass, which the farmer is going to undertake in the next phase. He has also suggested the farmer to check the water flow, salinity and temperature and the drop of mussel seeds in the culture site. Dr Santosh Metar, Associate Professor from College of Fisheries, Ratnagiri also interacted with the farmer and assured the analytical support for the water quality and environmental parameters. The farmer expressed gratitude towards the scientific team for coming forward and providing them the necessary suggestions for future course of action. The programme was co-ordinated by Dr Sreekanth GB, Dr Santosh Metar and Shri Trivesh Mayekar (Scientist, ICAR-CCARI, Goa).