CMFRI takes up captive breeding of spiny lobsters

By P. Oppili

CHENNAI JULY 5. The Kovalam Field Laboratory of the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), which was lying disused for nearly a decade, has started functioning and the authorities have taken up the work of captive breeding, larval rearing and nursery breeding of `Spiny Lobsters'.

The objective of the programme being implemented with the participation of the local community is to help local fishermen catch lobsters during the lean season, say the CMFRI authorities.

At the lab, the authorities are collecting the buried lobsters (pregnant ones), which will take more than a fortnight to hatch. The hatched larvae will be fed with zooplanktons, which are being raised at the lab itself, they say. The larva cycle is about six to eight months, after which they become young ones.

A CMFRI scientist, Joe Kizhakudal, who had successfully implemented a similar programme at fishing hamlets in Gujarat was invited to the city for a similar venture, says the Scientist In-Charge, H.Mohamad Kasim. Soon after they are hatched, the larvae start their journey in the waters and reach the deep sea following the water current patterns. Once they reach the stage of young lobsters, they come back to the same place where they were hatched, like the Olive Ridley sea turtles, he says. The larvae can swim without any feed up to a distance of 500 km, he adds.

Mr. Kizhakudal, who interacted with the Gujarat fishermen and disseminated awareness about protecting young lobsters, said fishermen should not damage or disturb the habitat of the lobsters. Moreover, they also have to release the young ones into the waters whenever they are unintentionally caught in the net. Such a gesture will help them have better lobster catch in the long run, he says. Buried lobsters and the undersized ones should not be removed from the waters, says Mr. Kizhakudal. If the undersized ones are caught, they can be handed over to the lab, where they can be raised to `regulation' sizes, after which they can be sold in the market, he explains to the local fishermen at Kovalam.

Community participation is the major component for the success of the programme, which will help the fishermen earn their living even during the lean seasons, the CMFRI authorities says.
http://www.hinduonnet.com/2003/07/06/stories/2003070606870300.htm

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