Question

Give the merits and demerits of fish culture.

Answer 1

Hint: Fish culture is also known as fish farming or pisciculture, which involves raising fish commercially in tanks or enclosures such as fishponds, usually for food. The water bodies in which fishes are raised can be natural or manmade.

Complete answer:
Following are the merits and demerits of fish culture:
Merits of fish culture:
1. In fish culture several fishes are reared with a wide variety, these fishes form a great part of our diet.
2. Fishes are obtained through fish culture. We get fish meat, which is highly nutritive food containing easily digestible proteins, vitamins, minerals, and useful fats.
4. Through properly improved fish culture techniques, a large amount of fish can be obtained from a small area.
5. Fish-farming makes it possible to partially or completely, the natural breeding process and helps populate the natural waters with our own choice of species of fish.
Demerits of fish culture:
1. Through fish culture, the number of selectively cultured fish is increasing while the less economical fish are being discarded which is causing a threat to biodiversity and fish gene bank.
2. Only, fishes that are economically important and valued will be cultured. It means the wild variety of fishes may become extinct.
3. There is a greater risk of disease because of the loss of their natural habitat.
4. The large amounts of waste produced by the fishes must be removed regularly or this may cause eutrophication, leading to loss of oxygen from water and death of fishes in the surrounding water.

Note: Fish culture in natural waters is concerned with the replenishment and improvement of the fish stocks of the rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and seas. The increasing impact of man on the natural waters due to water pollution has impeded or disrupted the natural replenishment of fish stocks.