India’s first ornamental fish park launched in Chennai

The park, as touted by its stakeholders, is expected to make it to the global map for exotic fish business. It has come up in the Advanced Research Farm Facility, Madhavaram, an off-campus facility of Fisheries College and Research Institute (FCRI), Ponneri. 

Executed at a cost of Rs 8.8 crore, it is expected to cater to the needs of 200 to 250 ornamental fish culturists, providing advanced infrastructure, and modern production technologies for ornamental aquaculture, besides offering assistance in skill-development.

 The project’s components are multispecies ornamental fish hatchery (10 units), indoor raceway systems (10 units), outdoor raceway cum RAS systems (10 units), live feed culture nit (1 unit), disease diagnostic laboratory, and quarantine (2 units). An exclusive mall of about 50 retail shops selling both indigenous and exotic ornamental fish species will come up on the campus, and the CM had laid the foundation for that as well.  It is expected to compete with Singapore, which remains on top of the ladder in terms of the sale of ornamental fish.  

The ARTP project is funded by the State’s Innovation Initiatives. The state is also the second largest exporter of ornamental fish after West Bengal. Marine Products Export Development Authority, a nodal agency of the union commerce and industry ministry, has been a part of steering committee. CM also inaugurated a slew of additional buildings which are constructed for Fisheries University and its constituent institutions, across the state.