Kulgam,15-Dec;The Kashmir trout is growing in popularity internally as well as in other states. While the brown trout attracts anglers to the Union Territory and is an integral part of its tourism industry, the rainbow trout is reared for commercial purposes.Deputy Director Fisheries Kulgam along with his team of officials today visited various private fish farming units and interacted with the beneficiaries associated with fish culture. The officer also visited the families of fishermen community to take stock of the execution of works allocated under the housing scheme.While speaking to the Deputy Director Fisheries Kulgam highlighted the activities of Fisheries Department Kulgam. He said the district has plentiful resources of cold water in the form of rivers, springs, streams etc. These resources can be utilised for fish farming by the educated and unemployed youth to earn their livelihood.DD Fisheries said that due to technological advancement, the department has evolved from a conservation stage to the stages of culture and rearing. The officer spoke about the health benefits of trout fish and said that trout is an excellent source of protein and its essential components like omega-3 and other poly unsaturated fatty acids are beneficial for heart health. While elaborating about the role of government the officer said that the state and centre sponsored schemes like Blue Revolution and PMMSY are providing financial assistance for fish farming and many farmers have been benefitted by the said schemes. DD Fisheries also mentioned that the department has established 62 units in the district till date and another 22 units for the current financial year are in the last stages of execution. The officer said that the trout culture has immense scope in Kulgam district and as per the directions of Deputy Commissioner Kulgam, various awareness camps are being organised, stalls are being installed to create public awareness. The Deputy Director Fisheries said that the department has well equipped staff and the unemployed youth can visit the concerned offices for awareness about the trout fish culture and its economic viability.(CNS)
