There is a growing commercial interest in the ¢sh,
Puntius ¢lamentosus, in the ornamental ¢sh trade in
India and elsewhere.The trade is, however, hampered
by severe mortalities during transport of the ¢sh owing
to insu⁄cient data available on the use of anaesthetics.
To resolve this problem, we evaluated the
e⁄cacy of two anaesthetics, MS-222 and benzocaine,
in sedating P. ¢lamentosus in simulated transportation
experiments and used stress response parameters
such as cortisol and blood glucose levels to
perform assessments. We observed that MS-222 at
40 mg L 1 and benzocaine at 20mg L 1 were su⁄-
cient to induce sedation for 48 h. Above these concentrations,
both the anaesthetics adversely a¡ected
the ¢sh and resulted inmortalities. Both anaesthetics
signi¢cantly lowered the blood cortisol and glucose
levels compared with the unsedated controls. Importantly,
the anaesthetics treatment signi¢cantly lowered
the post-transport mortality in the ¢sh.
The results of the study show that MS-222 and benzocaine
could be used as sedatives to alleviate transport-
related stress in P. ¢lamentosus to improve
their post-transport survival and hence reduce
economic loss.
Pramod,P K; Dr.Ramachandran,A(Cochin University of Science and Technology, June , 2006)
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Abstract:
This thesis Entitled Resource abundance and survival of indigenous ornamental fishes of central kerala with emphasis on handling and packing stress in puntius filamentosus (valenciennes).Kerala state is endowed with 41 west flowing and three east flowing rivers originating in the Western Ghats. These rivers and their vast network of tributaries and distributaries harbour rich and diversified fish fauna. Most of the freshwater fishes available in Kerala are highly appreciated as ornamental fishes in the national and international markets.Today the ornamental fish industry is one of the largest industries all over the world. The demand for ornamental fishes has been increasing steadily with the enlargement of the industry, such that the current demand for indigenous ornamental fishes have exceeded the supply. This has led to serious concern about the resources available in the country that can be utilised judiciously for the economic benefit of the state. With an aim to fill up the lacuna, a database of freshwater ornamental fishes of Kerala was created as part of the present study. Ornamental fishes destined for export marketing should thrive well in the aquarium conditions.The study reiterates fishes caught from different environmental conditions and feeding habits have a greater ability to adapt
and acclimatise to an entirely new environment and food habits.
Marketing studies based on the statistics available with Marine Products Export Development Authority show that these species are not being exported at the required level over the past 6 years,
when compared to the availability in the water bodies of Kerala. Sustainable utilisation of these resources from the wild using modern management principles and code of conduct for responsible fishing are advisable until captive breeding technology is popularised.
Description:
School of Industrial Fisheries, Cochin University of Science and Technology