India’s first hospital to treat abnormalities and diseases in fish is set to come up in Kolkata by mid-2015
T J Abraham, senior scientist, spearheading the project told news agency PTI that the work has already started on the project.
He said that nearly 60-65 kinds of disease and abnormality were found in fish in India and the one reason why West Bengal slipped from the number one position in fish production was due to the fact that 10-20 per cent of them died of diseases.
“Such hospitals are quite common in foreign countries,” Abraham, a senior fish microbiologist with the West Bengal University of Animal and Fishery Sciences, said.
The institute will not only help fish farmers increase yield by reducing the number of fish deaths, but will also ensure that people will consume healthy fish.
The hospital will have 50 glass aquariums, 25 circular water tanks, each with a capacity of 500 litres, to admit and treat diseased fish.
The hospital will also have a separate well-equipped pathological lab to diagnose various fish diseases.
He said that the diseased fish would be kept in aquariums for observation and after ascertaining the disease/ abnormality, medicines and tips would be provided to the growers.
The hospital, which is funded by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, under the Union Ministry of Agriculture, has a budget of US$815,321.
Abraham said that the hospital would document diseases affecting fish in West Bengal to be forwarded to the World Animal Health Organisation, Paris, of which India is a member.
