Mrigal fish farming business is very much popular among the carp fish species and along with two other well-known carp fish species namely Rui, and Catla, even Common carp as well.
The mrigal fish is very suited for commercial freshwater fish farming businesses in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan though it is largely cultivated in China, Vietnam, Myanmar, and other neighboring countries. This carp fish has also been introduced into Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Mauritius.
At present, mrigal fish farming business is very popular and its popularity is gradually increasing. As global food demand is increasing due to the increasing population, so the demand for freshwater fish species is also increasing. A commercial Mrigal fish farming business can be a great way for earning or most profitable business.
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Characteristics of Mrigal Fish
This fish has a long body, and lower body parts are straight lengthwise as well and their upper lip is curved downwards which gives it a unique shape. Its body is bilberry symmetric and aerodynamic, and its depth about equal to the length of the head.
Its body is covered with cycloidal scales, and head without scales. Usually dark grey above, silvery beneath; dorsal fin greyish; pectoral, pelvic, and anal fins orange-tipped it looks beautiful always.
How to Start Mrigal Fish Farming
Mrigal fish farming business is very easy and simple. The weather is favorable for the Mrigal fish farming business in the Indian sub-continent and its neighboring countries. So you can raise this fish along with other carp fish species in your pond very easily. The taste of mrigal fish is excellent, so the market demand and price is also very high.
Mrigal fish grows very well in temperature between 25°C and 32°C. However, here we are describing everything about starting a commercial Mrigal fish farming business.
So, you can make a good profit if you have an earthen pond and start a Mrigal fish farming business in it. However, here we are describing all the steps for starting a Mrigal fish farming business step by step.
Making a Perfect Plan
As we know a perfect plan means half of success. So to become successful in any project perfectly a perfect plan is very much needed. So if you think that you will start Mrigal fish farming business then you must need a plan which will help you to become a successful Mrigal fish farming business.
A perfect Mrigal farming business plan includes fund collection, site selection of a site for pond construction, pond design including dike, construction of a pond, pond preparation, water in the pond, greening the pond, seed collection, rearing the fingerlings, stocking in the main pond, feeding the fish, proper monitoring and controlling disease, harvesting, marketing and finally making a note which will be helpful for future.
1. Site Selection
Site selection is very much important for any kind of project. Appropriate site selection means the selection of site perfectly for the respective things. So, try to select a site that is appropriate for Mrigal fish farming.
In the case of site selection for Mrigal fish farming, you must consider the things as for other carp fish farming commercially, like the site will be with full sun. It will also be very good if you can select an area which is free from noise and pollution.
And also try to select the site in a non-residential area, because lands far from residential areas are comparatively cheap. And you need to maintain the properties of site selection for perfect pond construction. The temperature must be between 250Cto 350C for better Mrigal fish farming.
2. Pond Design and Construction
After selecting a desired and perfect site for pond construction, you have to design a good pond for better production. At present plastic or concrete pond is used for fish farming, but for quality and best test freshwater fishes, the earthen fish pond is a must. And for this, you must abide by some rules or instructions for a perfect fish pond. You can use either machine or manual labor for constructing your fish pond.
A perfect or good pond will be helpful for excellent fish production. As you will start a commercial Mrigal fish farming business then everything must be good. A perfect pond is rectangular and a maximum of 1 acre in size. Minimum two dykes must be there one for inlet and another for an outlet. But if you have already one then you can start a fish farming business.
Finally, we recommend that the size of the pond must be at least 1 acre for freshwater Mrigal fish farming business, though you can use any other sizes or your existing ponds for starting a mrigal fish farming business.
3. Pond Preparation
Pond preparation includes certain activities. These activities are drying the pond with sunlight, using lime or inorganic fertilizer, watering the pond, greening the pond, and make ready the pond for the stocking. So, you have to prepare the pond perfectly or accurately before stocking fish into it.
To create the natural feed in the pond or greening the pond you can apply lime and both organic and inorganic fertilizers into the pond. It will enhance natural feed/plankton production for new seed. Using lime will infertile the pond and using organic and inorganic fertilizers will help to grow plankton at night.
Then you have to leave the pond for several days after using lime and fertilizers into it. Then you have to water the pond with fresh water and deep will be about 6 to 8 feet. After a few days, you will notice natural food production within a few days.
4. Seed Collection
Seed collection is one of the most important things for the Mrigal fish farming business. Better fingerling comes from better seed and better fish from better fingerling is known to all. So, you have to collect better seeds from any of your nearest Mrigal fish breeding centers or hatcheries.
Mrigal fish breeding is very common and initiated breeding is playing a major role in entire seed necessities in all the countries where this type of fish is available.
You must collect better Mrigal fish seed from the trusted sources. There may many breeding hatcheries to collect the seed but you have to collect the best one. If you need any help then contact us or your nearest fisheries institute or agriculture extension institute for having more information about the available Mrigal fish farming business information.
5. Rearing the Fingerlings
As we know that Mrigal fish is cultivated with Calta and Rui in the same pond at the same time that is a poly-culture system, so you must not stock only Mrigal fish in your pond. Rather, Mrigal should be reared along with Catla and Rui.
The proportion must be 2:1:2. For raising the fry in the nursery pond, you can stock 0.10 to 0.15 million fries per acre. But think is that the nursery pond must be well prepared for stocking and rearing the fingerlings.
Generally, Mrigal carp with other carp species of 2.5 cm fry are raised in the nursery pond, and then you have to raise the fry until they reach around 10 cm length or fingerling. And finally, you can stock them in the main pond to raising them commercially.
Generally, the endurance rate of Mrigal carp fingerlings ranges up to 70%. Contact the nearest aquaculture or fisheries department for exact pond manures and further information or follow a well-defined Mrigal carp fish farming business plan.
6. Stocking in the Main Pond
While the seed is grown up in the nursery pond you have to prepare the main pond for stocking the fingerlings. And then you can stock the fingerlings in the main pond when they are about 10 to 15 grams of body weight.
As it is well known that only Mrigal fish farming business is not profitable or logically it does not happen, so you have to go with a poly-culture farming system, and you need to stock Rui and Catla fish along with Mrigal fish in your pond. It is very important for mrigal fish farming because Mrigal fish is a bottom feeder that means it is a fish that consumes bottom-level feed. Rui is a middle feeder, and Catla is an upper feeder.
So, you have to stock Mrigal fish with middle and upper-level fish. And we know that Rui and Catla will be very good for this purpose because Rui is middle feeder fish and Catla is an upper feeder fish in the pond. The stocking ratio of Rui, Catla, and Mrigal can be 3:3:4 respectively. And you can stock up to 30,000 fish in a one-acre pond, though you can also consult with an aquaculture specialist for having better information.
7. Feeding the Fish
As a commercial farmer, you have to feed your fish with very good quality and healthy feeds for keeping your fish healthy so that they can grow fast. Giving fertilizers in the pond will help to produce a good amount of natural fish feed into the pond.
For this purpose, you can apply T.S.P 40.5 kgs per acre and urea 32.5 kgs per acre to greening thy pond. But if want you can apply extra subsidiary fish feeds for better growth of your fish at the desired time.
As ready-made commercial carp fish feeds are also available in the market, so if want to apply it then you must ensure its quality, though these are very good for this purpose.
8. Monitoring
Monitoring is very much crucial for the commercial Mrigal fish farming business. Diseases management, health care, net or cleaning pond, water treatment, weather monitoring all is included in monitoring in a perfect fish farming business. Sometimes you have to examine water quality and quality of natural feed in the pond.
9. Harvesting
Harvesting is another important step for the Mrigal fish farming business. As the mrigal fish are bottom dwellers so it is very difficult to catch them by using the net.
So concluded harvesting of Mrigal fish is possible only by totally draining the pond. Nets are also often used for partial harvesting in small and backyard ponds in the case of Mrigal fish farming.
10. Marketing
Finally, the last and most important thing has come which is marketing. To get a better price from the fish better marketing policy must be taken. As we know that the Mrigal fish is commonly sold in the local markets.
Although long-distance transport and marketing of Mrigal fish are also possible by packing with crushed ice at the ratio of 1:1, this may cause better prices and better profit. So a commercial Mrigal fish farming business you need to take a decision on which one is better. But try to send the fish to the market as soon as possible after harvesting.
Make a note: As we always say that keeping note is very much important for anything, it may business, it may any project or any plan. Notes always help us to find out the pitfall of our project or any work.
So after marketing, you have to calculate the profit from the Mrigal fish farming business. And you have to find out the pitfall of your farming system. We hope you have learned enough from this guideline of the Mrigal fish farming business, so let’s start…
