The government has allocated Rs 158 million to conserve, manage and develop aquatic resources in the public and private sectors and to meet the protein requirement of the growing population of the province, reports BusinessRecorder.
It is hoped that fish production can be increased through better exploitation of natural aquatic resources, promotion of fish farming in private sector through institutional and logistic support and aquaculture research and conservation programmes focusing on disease control, genetics, protection of vulnerable species and productivity enhancement.
Throughout 2013, the Punjab fisheries department will work on five new schemes which include establishment of fish seed rearing farm for production of large size fish seed and biological diversification in Chashma District Mianwali with an estimated cost of Rs 100 million. The government has allocated Rs 10 million for the scheme during the current year for initiation of work.
Another strategic intervention planned by the department for the current year is the production of fingerlings of culturable fish species during winter season with an estimated cost of Rs 35 million.
The project will be under taken at Sheikhupura, Farooqabad. Besides this, the department has planned to undertake research and propagation of mono-sex Tilapia and launching a mass motivation campaign for promotion of fisheries.
