Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture in Bhubaneswar. Telegraph picture

Cuttack, Nov. 12: Odisha will soon have the country’s first fish brood bank.

National Fisheries Development Board of the Union animal husbandry, dairying and fisheries department has planned to set up a national brood bank “to stabilise the fish seed supply”, officials at the directorate of fisheries here said.

“The board plans to initially convert the Kausalyaganga fish farm on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar to a national freshwater fish brood stock bank and later replicate the model across Odisha,” production officer Mamata Mohapatra told The Telegraph.

“The proposed brood stock bank with the board’s financial assistance will be a centre where different parent line fish will be maintained till brood stage and be bred artificially to produce good quality seed free from inbreeding,” Mohapatra said.

Initially, the project will be for Odisha with financial involvement to the tune of Rs 2.65 crore for establishment of IMC brood stock bank and Rs 40 lakh for a fish disease diagnostic centre.

Officials of the fisheries department said the project was expected to minimise the depression witnessed at present owing to breeding of closely related individual brood fish resulting production of fish seed with relatively lower growth rate and lesser disease resistance.

At present, the seed sourcing is being done in multiple ways, including imports. The brood bank will reduce the dependence on import of fresh water fish and encourage culture of new varieties of fish.

Mohapatra said: “The proposed bank will gradually have brood stock of all fresh water cultivable species and one fish cryo semen bank for fish brood stock upgrade programme in Odisha as well as in the entire country.”

“With the successful implementation of the project, good quality fish seed shall be produced and fish production shall be multiplied manifold resulting in blue revolution,” the production officer said.

The project, which involves the fish disease diagnostic centre, along with the fish brood stock bank, will be extended necessary technical support by the Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture, Bhubaneswar, and the National Bureau of Fish Genetics Resources, Lucknow.