Young prof Sagarika Tripathy helps boost lobster farming

Berhampur: Sagarika Tripathy (25), Assistant Professor, Roland Pharmacy College, has inspired and trained members of ten self-help groups (SHG) in lobster farming. She has been appreciated by the India Book of Records, which recognised her research and innovation in pisciculture.

Her research would give new hope for breeding lobsters in Odisha and a source of income to farmers, the Editorial Board of India Book of Records commented.

Said Sagarika, "I started my journey two years ago after my successful research on lobster farming in cages. I gave training to SHG members on lobster farming at Baxipalli in Gopalpur with the help of ADARSHA, a voluntary organisation, after I approached National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD)."

"Land-based lobster farming is certainly challenging. But I changed and used some modified techniques in characters so that they can survive in these environmental conditions. During the incubation period, we need to take special care of lobsters. So, I used a tank and after that, we used direct seawater in cages and let them grow," said Sagarika.

"Though there are numerous lobster species available throughout the world, I used the Nephropsis lobster as my preferred species. I choose the species depending on the availability in the locality," she said. This species generally grows faster and has very good demand and value in the international market. Lobsters are omnivores and typically eat live prey such as fish, mollusks, other crustaceans, worms and some plant life. In commercial production, they are generally fed twice daily with mussels and trash fish, said Sagarika.

Lobsters are being sold at a price of Rs 700-1,200 a kg. Market rate always varies according to availability. For the last two months we have been selling it at more than Rs 700 a kg, she said.

In three months, our rate of production is good; the baby lobsters are still in incubation which can bring a good profit in coming months, Sagarika hoped.

Lobsters generally live singly in crevices or in burrows under rocks. Three of their five pairs of legs have claws, including the first pair, which are usually much larger than the others. Lobsters are highly prized as seafood and are economically very important. They are often one of the most profitable commodities in coastal areas they populate.

According to Sagarika, there are many advantages to starting a commercial lobster farming business. You can start the business if you have enough facilities. Commercial lobster farming is relatively a new business idea. And you can take this opportunity for making a profit. You can start this business easily if you live near coastal areas. Commercial lobster production is a profitable business. So, it can be a good employment source, especially for unemployed people.