Heavy rain, flooding hit fish farming around Kochi

The fishes escaped as water levels rose above the bunds that were built to prevent water intrusion from outside.

Scores of fish farmers around Kochi, using both cages and open ponds, have sustained substantial losses in the floods triggered by heavy rains this week resulting from cyclone Tauktae. While some of the shrimp farmers near Kochi fear the possible outbreak of a viral disease, aquaculturists in areas like Kumbalanghi, Chellanam and border areas of Ezhupunna have seen heavy flooding, which has rendered most of the coastal paddy fields unsuitable for fish and shrimp farming in the coming season. Several farmers have lost cages, which were either washed ashore in the floods or were severely damaged. A.R. Joseph, a fish farmer in Kumbalangi said that he lost substantial numbers of pearl spots (karimeen), cat fish, tilapia and milkfish in the rains that flooded the fish pond, measuring around 4.5 acres in the village surrounded by backwaters. The fishes escaped as water levels rose above the bunds that were built to prevent water intrusion from outside, he said.