Indian Aqua-Invest Congress and Expo ~ 2010 (IAICE) PP-19 CULTURE OF SMALL INDIGENOUS FISH IN THE COMPOSITE FISH CULTURE SYSTEM — AN EVALUATION A. Sinha’, B.K.Mahapatra’, G.H. Pailan” P, Chatterjee’, A. Biswas’ and N.J. Moitra” * Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Sector-V, Salt Lake City, Kolkata ~ 700 091, India . * R.R. Ashram Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Nimpith Ashram, South 24 Parganas, West Bengal. sinhaarchana@yahoo.com Traditionally, for about last four decades, three Indian major carp, Catla catla (Ham.), Labeo rohita (Ham.), Cirrhinus mrigala (Ham) and three exotic carps Hypophthalmichthys molitrix (Val.). Ctenopharyngodon idella (Val.) and Cyprinus carpio (Lin.) are being commonly used in composite fish culture system in India. In the Sunderbans area, combination of major and median sized carp species i.e. C. catla, L. rohita, C. mrigala, H. molitrix, C. idella, C. carpio, Labeo bata and Puntius javonicus are being practiced @10,000 nos per ha. In the present experiment, high value Indigenous minor carp species viz. Amblypharyngodon mola (Ham.), Puntius sophore (Ham.), and Salmostoma bacaila(Ham.), are introduced in the carp culture ponds @ 20,000nos per hain addition to popular stocking density of 10,000 nos./ha of major and medium sized carps. Four ponds (each of size 0.1 ha) were selected for the study at RAKKVK Instructional Farm, Nimpith, South 24-Parganas, W.B. A. mola was introduced in Pond CIFE1, P. sophore in Pond CIFE2 and S. bacaila Pond CIFE3. Pond CIFE4 was kept as control where only carp species was stocked. The details of flesh biomass production and economic return in the diversified culture system by incorporation of minor carps are evaluated and discussed. 60