Prospects of molluscan mariculture in India- Winter School on Recent Advances in Breeding and Larviculture of Marine Finfish and Shellfish

The global aquaculture production is estimated as 54.8 million tonnes (FAO, 2003) of which molluscs contributes \nfor more than 20% (11.1 million t). The rate of increase in production is presented in Fig.1. The major species farmed \nglobally are the Pacific Cupped oyster, clams, mussels, scallops, abalones, etc. (Fig.2). In the recent past, India has \nmade a small beginning (annual production of nearly 10,000 t) in molluscan farming (mussels and oysters) in the state \nof Kerala, but it is yet to pick up in other maritime states, inspite of its immense potential. The nation has been able to \ndevelop full fledged mariculture technologies for edible oysters, mussels, marine pearl production in fucata oysters, \nand also developed hatchery technologies for pearl oysters, mussels, clams and some species of cephalopods and \ngastropods.