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After stocking the production ponds with fish fingerlings in the months of April- May, now farmers are busy in stocking their nursery ponds with new seed (spawn or fry) to rear fingerlings for the next year crop. This information was shared by Dr. Meera D Ansal, HoD, Department of Aquaculture, College of Fisheries, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana. To achieve maximum survival of seed in the nursery ponds, it is recommended to take care of the following points. Procure quality seed from a reliable hatchery only and while lifting seed from the hatchery, be sure that the seed has been properly conditioned (defecated) before packaging and only desired species are provided as per the demand. Fecal matter from improperly conditioned seed pollutes the water of the seed bag and cause mortality during transportation. Seed adulteration with unwanted species and short supply leads to poor seed recovery. Further, transport the seed during early morning or late evening hours only to prevent mortality due to thermal stress or shock during stocking. Avoid physical injury to the seed during transportation, which also affects its survival in the new environment. Stock the seed in the ponds only after proper acclimatization. For this, place the seed bag over the pond water surface for 20-30 minutes for temperature equalization, open the seed bag, fold its margins and add pond water into the bag gradually to fill it over a period of 10-15 minutes, so as to acclimatize the seed to the pond water quality. Then dip the bag top below the water surface and allow the seed to swims out smoothly into the pond without any physical injury. She advised that for stocking 1 acre production pond next year, it is recommended to stock 20,000 - 25,000 spawn or 6,000 - 8,000 fry in one kanal (500m2) nursery pond, so as to raise 4,500 - 6,000 fingerlings.
