Finfish Breeding and Hatchery Management (2+1)

Conditioning of  seed :

● Collect seed from nursery and condition them
● Conditioning is nothing but  holding fry/ fingerlings in a restricted area at a high density, without food, to empty their digestive tract
● This allows the weak seed to die and healthy seed to survive
● Conditioning period varies from 6 to 12 hours depending upon size of seed and duration of journey.
● Condition fingerlings for a longer period than fry, spawn need not be conditioned
● Pack seed in 18 L capacity high density polythene bag
● Check the bags for leakage and fill the with 1/3 clear water and release the conditioned seed
● Use a plastic beaker or cup to  measure the seed
● After removing air from the bag, fill the bag with 2/3 pure oxygen using an oxygen cylinder
● Count the seed in randomly selected bag to ascertain the number of seed packed
● Twist the mouth of the bag and seal properly with gunny twine so as to prevent any leakage of oxygen
● Carry an oxygen cylinder for use during emergency
● Keep sealed bag in rectangular metal box or plastic crate to prevent the bag from developing any hole
● The number of seed to be packed in each bag depends upon their size
● Pack each 18 L bag with 2,000-10,000 spawn, 600-700 fry and 250-300 fingerlings
● Transport the seed by road or train or air
● Of late some fish farmers use sinter-plastered tanks (1000 L capacity), with continuous oxygenation, for large-scale transportation