Closing the ‘performance gap’ of India’s aquaculture sector

Finfish aquaculture is an important source of affordable and nutritious animal protein in India. In the state of Odisha, traditional semi-intensive earthen polyculture ponds dominate production, producing mainly Rohu (Labeo rohita) and Catla (Labeo catla), but also often with other species such as Mrigal (Cirrhinus cirrhosus), Pangasius (Pangasius spp.), Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix), and Amur Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio). Feeds are commonly a mix of agricultural raw materials, such as rice bran, mustard oil cake, cotton seed cake, and maize flour, with limited use of pelleted feeds. The ponds are also often fertilized using both organic and inorganic fertilizers. Limited gains have, however, been realized in terms aquaculture interventions, such as genetic gains, improved feeds, farm technologies and practices, and disease reductions. In the present study we benchmark the current performance of Indian aquaculture using life cycle assessments, and explore different potential innovations that could improve yields and/or limit environmental harm.鱼类水产养殖是印度获取平价且富含营养的动物蛋白的重要来源。在奥里萨邦（Odisha），传统半精养土池混养模式为当地水产养殖的主导生产模式，主要养殖露斯塔野鲮（Rohu, Labeo rohita）与卡特拉鲃（Catla, Labeo catla），同时常搭配养殖Mrigal（Cirrhinus cirrhosus）、𫚙属鱼类（Pangasius, Pangasius spp.）、鲢鱼（Silver Carp, Hypophthalmichthys molitrix）以及阿穆尔普通鲤（Amur Common Carp, Cyprinus carpio）等其他鱼种。养殖投喂的饲料通常为农业原料混合配方，涵盖米糠、芥菜籽粕、棉籽粕与玉米粉，颗粒饲料的使用相对有限。此类养殖池塘还常同时施用有机肥与无机肥进行肥水作业。然而，当前在水产养殖相关改良举措方面已取得的进展较为有限，涉及遗传选育改良、优质饲料优化、农场养殖技术与模式升级以及病害防控能力提升等多个方向。本研究采用生命周期评估（Life Cycle Assessment, LCA）方法，对印度当前水产养殖的整体表现开展基准测评，并探索了一系列可提升养殖产量或降低环境损害的潜在创新路径。