Live fish: 250 kg sold in less than 90 minutes

The sale of live fish on an experimental basis in the city, turned out to be a huge success, with 250 kg of live fish being sold in less than two hours, on Friday.

Live Pangasius fish were sold at two outlets out of Karnataka State Co-operative Fisheries Federation Limited (KSCFFL), near Kukkarahalli lake and Paduvarahalli, by the Fisheries department.

Fish lovers started swarming the outlets as soon the fish went on sale. For ones who were worried about carrying live fish back home, arrangements were made near the outlet, to clean and chop the fish. The sale, which started at around 10.30 pm was over by 12 pm. 

Encouraged by the response, Fisheries department is planning to sell live fish in two more KSCFFL centres. Even though there are 40 such centres in the city, it is unlikely that the live fish will go on sale at all the centres.

Ramakrishna, Deputy Director of the department said that it would raise the quantity of fish sold in the coming days. “Currently, we have a stock of 50 tonnes of fish, which are cultured in cages at Krishnarajasagar Reservoir. We will try to ensure continuous supply of the fish, in a limited manner. The stock will be used till the next harvest of 50 tonnes is ready,” he said.

Caged fishing in reservoirs like KRS, will ensure regular supply of fish and the methods will be emulated in other reservoirs soon, he said. 

Considering the sales recorded during the day, the department is also planning to sell other species of fish, such as catla and carp, which are being cultured both in ponds and cages in KRS. However, there are several challenges involved with it, as it is not easy to get large quantity of fish at once, unlike Pangasius, he said.

Entrepreneurship scheme

He said that the government was forming a policy to encourage private entrepreneurs to invest in fish farming. With possibilities of harvesting of up to 400 tonnes per hectare in caged fishing methods, it will be lucrative venture for private entrepreneurs, he said.