Kochi, In a major breakthrough, the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute has achieved a landmark success in induced breeding and seed production of the giant trevally, a highly prized marine species. The giant trevally is a fast-growing, important food fish that can be farmed in marine and estuarine cages, pens and coastal ponds. This fish can grow faster than pompanos and can tolerate wider salinity ranges and water quality conditions. “The achievement is a breakthrough in mariculture and is a significant advancement in the efforts to sustainably manage and conserve giant trevally as a new candidate species in the mariculture sector,” said Dr A Gopalakrishnan, Director of CMFRI. This technology was developed by scientists at the Regional Centre of ICAR-CMFRI in Vizhinjam, Thiruvananthapuram with the funding support of the Department of Biotechnology, Union Ministry of Science and Technology, an official release said here on Monday. Extensive research and trials were required to overcome challenges due to specific breeding requirements and the complex reproductive biology of the fish. This involved meticulous monitoring of its behaviour, hormone administration and precise environmental control, it said. Research was carried out under the leadership of scientists Ambarish P Gop, Dr M Sakthivel, and Dr B Santhosh. A highly valued game fish commercially valued for its firm and excellent flesh quality preferred across the Indo-Pacific region, giant trevally is a much sought-after popular marine fish and its price ranges from ₹400 to 700/ kg, the release said. Belonging to the Carangidae family, this fish is well known for its large size and has immense potential in the mariculture sector, typically found in coastal reefs, lagoons and open seas. CMFRI’s initial cage farming trials with pellet feed indicated that this fish reaches marketable size up to 500g in 5 months and around 1kg in 8-month culture, it said. On CMFRI’s immediate focus, Gopalakrishnan said the institute would optimise the breeding protocols to scale up production efficiently and refine larval rearing protocols of this species. “The initial success of the giant trevally’s captive seed production is expected to pave the way for large-scale fish seed production and farming of this marine fish. Giant trevally is a fast-growing, hardy species that can be easily farmed using pellet diets throughout the culture period,” Gopalakrishnan said.
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