Fish farming is the way by which fish is grown in a controlled environment. The most famous farming practice involves raising fish varieties in a pond or in a tank. Fish farming has been gaining huge popularity in Kerala since the last decade as more people are opting to choose this intriguing field. I have recently made a visit to one such fish farming centre to buy two Carp fish to be presented to my friend’s son as a gift. The farm is located exactly at a place called Keezhillam near Perumbavoor and is known by the name ‘Friends Fish Farm’. As we get to the farm we could see a low-lying area which is full of small ponds and tanks made close to each other. It was quite fascinating to see the whole place covered by nets to protect the fish from birds.
As I got to the farm, the people who were working on the farm looked quite busy catching some fish varieties as per an order which came from Andhra Pradesh. It took around three to four persons to catch one Arapaima fish from a pond using a large net. Among other fish varieties, the order was for four Arapaima fishes and it was quite fascinating to see these fishes being caught from a pond and transferred to a fish tank kept inside a lorry. Apparently, these fishes were not fed for the last three days as it would help to keep the water clean till they reach the destination.
When I checked inside the lorry, I was amazed to see a few more fish varieties like the ornamental black shark, Carp, Nutter and Alligator Garfish all kept inside several tanks for transportation. I have met one person named Arun who is involved with running the farm. He explained to me that Arapaima and Alligator Gar don’t require any oxygen while the Carp and Nutter fish requires oxygen while transporting. These fishes were told to be taken to Hyderabad, and half would be moved to Visakhapatnam. Arun has explained that it will take twenty-four hours for them to reach Hyderabad and he is also accompanying them for this journey.
I felt proud of the fact that our state is supplying fish worth lakhs of rupees to another region. If you are purchasing the fishes like Arapaima from outside, it will cost us a whopping sum of money in the region of Seventy-five thousand. Since this farm is selling these fish in a wholesale manner, we can purchase them at a reduced price tag.
The farm has a wide collection of ornamental fishes namely Gold, Angel, Carp, White Shark, Black Shark and so on. Carp fishes come in various designs and the price is different for each of these varieties. The golden design Carp fish are sold for Rs 900 per kilogram and the red-coloured ones cost Rs 800 per kilogram. If we purchase the young ones with smaller sizes, we would be able to get more fish in numbers. But if we tend to purchase the bigger one, the number of fish would be significantly less.
I have also seen fish varieties which were grown for cooking. Some of these were Red Billy, Tilapia, Nutter and so on. As I continued my walk through the farm, I come across several ponds which were having more depth when compared to others and that made it difficult to see the fish. The fish tend to move towards the depth and avoid coming up to the surface. The building at the centre of the farm has many fish tanks holding various ornamental fish varieties. We can visit the farm from 8.00 am in the morning to evening 5.00 pm. Sunday is deemed to be an off day for the farm and it won’t be open for the customers.
Before leaving the farm, I purchased two medium-sized orange coloured Carp fish. These were bought as a gift for my friend’s son. The person who is in charge of catching the fish makes use of a square-shaped handled net in getting the fish from the tank. These were then weighed and transferred to plastic covers filled with sufficient water and air before handing them over to me.
I have informed my friend Vinu about turning up with two fish as a present for his son. When I reached Vinu’s home, his son was standing beside the house and felt surprised to see me. There is a small pond close to the house and we have released the fish into the water. The children were so happy to see the fish and were fascinated to witness them move towards the dept of the pond.
