Kochi, Dec 3 (IANS): Thanks to the efforts of the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), a small self-group belonging to a Scheduled Caste community in Cheranalloor village in Kerala has given a fillip to homestead aquaculture and nutritional security by reaping a bumper harvest from biofloc fish farming, an innovative aquaculture practice.

The Sreelekshmi self-help group in the village reaped a good yield of Genetically Improved Farmed Tilapia (GIFT) with a better growth rate from a 5-diameter biofloc tank set up adjacent to their households.

The CMFRI's aim was to transform the lives of the SC community by helping them become small-scale entrepreneurs in fish farming and introduced this venture to the families in the locality by extending to them all the support to undertake the biofloc farming.

Biofloc technology is a method for high-density fish farming in a controlled environment in which fish wastages are converted into useful nutrients.

The farming was started in November last year by stocking 1,800 tilapia eggs.

A. Gopalakrishnan, Director of CMFRI, said the institute focuses on taking its research output to the needy section of the society, including women and transgender people.

"The CMFRI team monitored different phases of the farming regularly to ensure that fishes attain maximum growth. A water quality kit also was supplied to the SHG to maintain the required parameter," said K. Madhu, scientist at CMFRI, who led the project.