THE OCCURRENCE OF ASSOCIATES OF CARP FRY IN THE FRY-COLLECTION NETS AND THE DESTRUCTIVE ROLE PLAYED BY PREDATORY FISH

Abstract

Since the Indian major carps mostly breed only in fluviatile habitats, it is a common annual practice among fish culturists in north and north-eastern States of India to collect spawn, hatchlings, fry, etc., of these carps from rivers for stocking impounded ponds and tanks. This ancient practice has been responsible for the development of fish fry trade in India and the details of the methods have been described at length by Rahman (1946), Basu (1950, 1951) and Job (1951). During the monsoon months, majority of riverine fishes, including carps, breed and the fry-collection nets are operated in shallow areas of the rivers to collect the young ones of carps.