DG Fisheries inaugurates fish farming campaign at Kalar Kahar Lake

Lahore: Director General Fisheries Dr. Muhammad Ayub has said that a hatchery is being constructed at a cost of 170 million rupees for ensuring immediate provision of fish seed to private fish farmers and small dams situated at Potohar Region and its half work has been completed. He disclosed that on becoming functional of the hatchery, 20 lakh fish seed will be produced annually and fish farmers of Potohar region will  benefit from it.

He said this while addressing a seminar on management of fisheries in small dams after a function of releasing 15 thousand fish seed of various kinds of fish including mahasheer at Kalar Kahar Lake, today. Besides, researchers and professors of Government College University Lahore, Punjab University, Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi and Quaid-e-Azam University Islamabad, officers of Fisheries Department, fish farmers and a large number of people belonging to various walks of life were present on the occasion.

Dr. Muhammad Ayub formally inaugurated the campaign by releasing more than 15 thousand fish seed in Kalar Kahar Lake. He said that today’s function is a part of stocking programme of fish seed produced through artificial insemination at government production centers in natural waters. He said that after setting up of new hatchery at Kalar Kahar, the fish farmers will not have to travel a long journey for getting fish seed.

DG Fisheries said that not only job opportunities will be created due to complete functioning the hatchery but it will also help in meeting the food requirements. He said that the work on reservoir fisheries management is continuing for getting fish on permanent basis so that the fish of big size could be produced from fish farms and the small fish after passing through breeding process could take place of big fish. Kind

Dr. Muhammad Ayub said that Potohar is rich of fish resources and 55 small dams exist at 8800 acres land in this area whereas 7 more dams are being constructed. He said that in addition to these small dams, Department for Soil Conservation and Agency for Barani Areas Development have constructed 900 mini-dams and 100 farms are working for the promotion of fish. He said that out of 900 mini-dams, 500 dams are being utilized for fish breeding. He said that the demand of fish seed has reached to 8 million in the area. He said that the management of resources is being made for capacity-building of fish farms due to which new avenues of development will open in fisheries sector.

DG Fisheries said that work is being continuing on feasibility study of the project of setting up aquaculture export processing zone and research and training through development of human resources under Fisheries Department. He said that more than 9 crore 30 lakh fish seed of high quality is being provided to fish farms set up at private sector through hatcheries and nurseries of Fisheries Department. He said that the Fisheries Department releases fish seed in rivers, lakes and other waters every year under a coordinated programme so that the breed of local fish could be preserved.

Moreover, Director Fisheries (Extension) Iftikhar Ahmed Qureshi, Deputy Director General Natural History Museum Islamabad Dr. Rafique and Deputy Director Fisheries Islamabad Iftikhar Ahmed gave presentation about the promotion of fish in the seminar while CCF KPK Siddique Khattak, Director General Fisheries Baluchistan Muhammad Noor, Director Fisheries Gilgit Baltistan Ghulam Mohy-ud-Din, Chairman Zoology GC University Dr. Nusrat Jehan, Prof. Dr. Afsar Mian Arid University Rawalpindi, Dean Veterinary University Dr. Muhammad Ashraf and Prof. Dr. Mazhar besides DCO and DPO Chakwal especially attended the seminar.