ICAR-CIFRI provides livelihood support to Wetland Fishers of Borkona Beel, Assam under WorldFish Project: A Post-COVID-19 initiative

As a part of the implemented Project “Small Scale Fisheries in Wetlands for livelihood and nutritional security” in collaboration with the WorldFish, Penang, Malaysia, the ICAR-Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute, Barrackpore, Kolkata demonstrated its technologies (ICAR-CIFRI Pen HDPE® and Fish Stock Enhancement) in the selected floodplain Wetlands (Beels) of West Bengal and Assam with community participation.

As a part of Project’s Assam Component, Borkona Beel, the Institute selected a seasonally open floodplain wetland located near Sarthebari in Barpeta District, Assam for the technology demonstration. The Beel managed by Bampara Fishery Co-operative Society has 65 active members belonging to Scheduled Caste community and a total of 350 fisher families who depend on the Beel for livelihood support. Borkona Beel is an unstocked beel with low fish production (average fish yield rate: 180 kg ha-1 yr-1). The ICAR-CIFRI initiated the Supplementary Stocking with Fingerlings of major and minor carps (40,000) in the Beel for the first time on 28th December, 2020. The main objective of the programme is to enhance the fish stocks in the Beel, improve fish yield rate and provide livelihood support to the Beel Fishers Post-COVID-19.

(Source: ICAR-Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute, Barrackpore, Kolkata)