Last Update: 6 December 2017 Part II, F.T.

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Integrated Aquaculture and its cost benefit
In the course of development of the different farming systems of fishes, it has been found that fish culture can also
be integrated with crop and livestock farming which is known as integrated fish farming. These mutually reinforcing aquatic
and terrestrial production systems totally recycle the entire farm produce.
This farming system holds great promise ad potential for augmenting the production of animal protein, betterment of
rural economy and generation of employment.
Although the technology of composite fish culture is a high yielding one, its high input requirements, especially on
artificial feed and fertilizers acts as major constraint in the adoption of the technology by rural people. The cost on inputs can
be reduced considerably by recycling available enormous organic cuaster, both from plant and animal origin.
Fish-Cum-Livestock farming: Livestock waster such as cattle dung, pig dung, chicken and duck droppings provide all the
raw materials required for the food chain in a fishpond. On decomposition they enrich the soil and water with nutrients
thereby sustaining the fertility of the pond. Livestock wastes decompose at a slower rate and thus nutrients are released
gradually.
In livestock-cum-fish farming, the feed given to the animals is used three times over. Once by the livestock, then by the fish
by directly feeding on the animal excreta and lastly through production of natural fish food by recycling of dung. The pig
dung contains 70% digestible food for fish.
Fish-Cum-Pig farming: A 0.1 ha pond was stocked at the stocking density of 8500 fingerlings /ha in the species ratio of
Catla 2.0; Rohu 2.0; Mrigal 2.0; Silver carp 1.5; Grass carp 2.0; and common carp 0.5 . The pond was maured by pig dung
collected from adjacent pig-sites. No supplementary feed or fertilizer was applied. Grass carp was fed on chopped green
cattle fodders such as maize leaves and hybrid napier grass. Lime was applied four times during the course of experiment
@200 kg/ha each time.
Simultaneously intensive rearing of two lots of piglets was done during the experimental period. The first lot of 8
piglets attained average weight of 95.4 kg from their initial average weight of 22.5 kg in 8 months. The second lot of 5 piglets
grew to 65.5 kg from their initial average weight of 25.0 kg in 4 month. To overcome any mineral deficiency sodium was
provided once a week.
After twelve months, the pond yielded 730 kg of fish which corresponds to a production rate of 7300 kg/ha/year and
through rearing of two lots of piglets in 12 months a total of 1095.7kg of pig flesh was produced. About 2000kg pig flesh was
dung recycled in 0.1 ha pond during the experiment.
In India, fish-cum-pig farming has a special significance in improving the socio-economic status of section of
weaker rural community.
Fish-Cum-Duck Farming: The experiment was conducted in a 1.48 ha pond by the Operational Research Project at
Krishnanagar, West Bengal. The average depth of the pond was 1.5m. The ducks moved in the pond during day time but
during night they were housed in a floating duck house made of bamboo mating over empty oil drums in the pond.
The pond was initially stocked with fingerlings of Indian and Chinese carps at a stocking density of 6340
fingerlings/ha, in the species ratio C 1.0; R 1.8; M 2.8; SC 1.5; GC 1.0 and CC 1.9. After 9 months partial harvesting was
done and a second stock of Catla fingerlings was added to the existing stock and the species ratio accordingly changed to
C1.2; R 1.3; M 2.7; Sc1.2; GC and CC 2.5.
During day time the experiments of the ducks were automatically recycled as the ducks moved over the whole pond
surface. Night droppings collected from the duck houses were added to the pond. No supplementary feed pond fertilizer was
used in the pond. Lime was applied twice during the course of the experiment @ 250 kg/ha. 100 ducklings (a cross between
khaki Campbell and Bengal runner) were reared in the pond. The ducks initially depended upon natural food presorts in the
pond, but later on balanced poultry feed was given. The feed was supplemented with chopped aquatic areas and molluscs.
Aster 12 months, the pond yielded a total of 6,397.3 kg of fish, which corresponds to a production rate of 4,323
kg/ha/year. The ducks laid 1,835 eggs and a total of 2,500 kg of duck flesh was produced in one year.
The states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Asam, Orissa, West Bengal and Bihar abound in duck population which are
mainly used for egg production. These states have great potential for fish culture where duck-cum fish farming can be
fruitfully adopted.
Fish-cum-poultry farming : The work on integration of fish culture with poultry farming has been initiated in India recently
and full results are not available to present. However, it has been reported that poultry manure is a self contained organic
manure having characteristics of both organic as well as inorganic manure.

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Fish-cum-crop Farming -
Paddy-cum-fish culture : In this sort of combination fish culture has to be oriented according to the requirements of rice
production. Through this system of combined farming, huge seasonal water areas in rice fields are utilized for fish culture
along with paddy culture, thereby augmenting crop and fish production.
In Bengal and Kerla, paddy-cum-fish culture is an age old practice. For planned paddy-cum-fish culture, the construction and
design of paddy fields, selection of suitable varieties of paddy and fishes is very important.
Fish-cum-Horticulture : The embankments of a fish pond mostly remain unutilised. There can be utilized very
economically for raising crops, fodder and for vegetables such as spinach, lettuces and fruit trees such as banana, papaya and
coconut trees. Thus the embankments of a fishpond can serve as an useful area for raising the food for grass carp and pigs
besides fruits and vegetables for human consumption.
Problems of integrated fish farming : A careful watch over the DO and B.O.D. of the pond water is very essential, since
due to constant recycling of livestock wastes, a thick organic sediment settles at the pond bottom, which causes the depletion
of oxygen and enhances the production of toxic-grass.
The animal excreta is a potential source of transmission of various parasites and diseases. Studies are being made to
elucidate the possible hazards of parasitic infection to man through livestock fish farming.
As the dusks are likely to prey upon small fishes, they should be kept away from nursery ponds.

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