BENEFITS OF AQUACULTURE CAGES

Besides eliminating competition with agriculture and other land uses, using cages in aquaculture has the following benefits:

• With the help of Aquaculture cages, benefits can be derived from any water resource as cages can be used in any type of water body including lakes, reservoirs, ponds, strip pits, streams, and rivers.
• Using cages in aquaculture simplifies the observation and sampling of fishes. It has made the harvesting easier.
• Harvest in cages allows the individual to fetch optimized production at minimum cost.
• Floating cages being off bottom helps in controlling predators with great ease. If the sea bed is not suitable for shellfish then floating cage can be a good choice.
• Due to flooding, one may lose one’s stock. Aquaculture cages ensure the safety of the stock.

FEATURES OF AQUACULTURE CAGES

• The designing of the cage and its accessories can be customized as per the requirement of the individual.
• Cages are available in different sizes in order to cater different needs of the individual. The open sea cages with the diameter measuring 6 m or 15 m are suitable for growing out fish culture whereas cages with 2 m diameter are ideal for seed rearing.
• The lifespan of the cage depends upon the materials that are used in its framing. Materials generally used are High-Density Poly Ethylene (HDPE), Galvanised Iron (GI) pipes, PVC pipes, etc. If longer lifespan is the main concern one must go for HDPE cages as they have the longer life as compared to GI cages. In case, the individual is looking for a cost-effective frame then he should opt for GI frames.
• Cages are available in two types of net, PE and Nylon net which are treated with anti-UV pross and anti-adhesion pross which ensures long service life and anti-biological adhesion.

WHY USE AQUACULTURE CAGES

The demand for high-cost species like shrimps and prawns has grown immensely in most developed countries. Therefore, the countries who want to increase their foreign exchange earnings may opt for aquaculture. The cage culture in aquaculture is widely known for fetching more yield with less cost. Following are the reasons, why one must go for aquaculture cages:

• Aquaculture cages have made harvesting possible by using minimum manpower. This technique is less labor intensive.
• In order to grow fish, feeding is much easier in cages compared to that in ponds. While using cages in aquaculture, the feed can be divided into equal proportions and supplied at regular intervals.
• With the help of cages, one may get 10-12 times higher yields than pond culture.
• The cage provides the individual with the convenience of locating the aquaculture near the urban markets, thus avoiding the need for fish preservation and heavy transportation expenditure.

Adopting cage culture is highly recommended to small fishermen who are lacking funds as the initial investment in cages is quite low.