Not knowing much about how the grilled fish on your plate behaved as an aquatic creature is not a crime. Go ahead and enjoy your meal.
Don't worry. If fish eaters qualified as pisiculturists too, then probably nearly half of India would have been fish farmers. Even regular fishermen hardly know much about their catch — except perhaps when it is in plenty and where.
But if you are still inquisitive about how much can a fish swim, or types and seasons for best catch, or similar details that the local fishmonger couldn’t tell you, then head to the fish behaviour laboratory at Veraval coast. It will answer all your queries and more.
The second such laboratory by ICAR-CIFT to come up here after Cochin, which was opened in May, the fish behaviour laboratory in Veraval was inaugurated last week. The laboratory will study fish behaviour inside the ocean which will help fishermen get quality catch.
Dr Prajith K K, a fishing technology scientist at ICAR Veraval said, “In India, no study has been done so far on the swimming speed of fish. We need to study this and based on the data we can optimize the speed of the vessel, of the net, and dragging speed for different species.”
According to scientists, the lab can also study how various species of fish behave with the net — whether they get attracted towards it or it repulses them. They will also study behavioural differences in juvenile and adult fish.
The lab at Veraval — one of the highest fish production centres in the country — is also equipped with sophisticated equipment including underwater camera.
Dr Toms C Joseph, scientist-in-charge, Veraval said, “The aim of this laboratory is to do responsible fishing and get quality catch. We will also study the behavioural changes of fishes to various stimuli like light and on the nature of its stimulative responses and whether past experiences teach it anything.”
