The fish culture extension worker reaches a village cooperative after fixing up his programme with the village Chief. He carries with him some extension pamphlets and books and an extension kit box to draw the interest of the farmers.
At the first such meeting about 10–15 farmers gather in the presence of the village Chief who introduces the extension worker to the farmers and explains the purpose of his visit to tell and talk to the farmers on the possibilities of fish culture in their village and nearby areas.
The extension worker explains the farmers that all types of ponds in their village cooperative, which are mostly storing dirty water and serve as breeding grounds for mosquitoes, are highly productive areas like their paddy fields or orchards and they can grow easily and economically fish in ponds which will be a highly nutritious protein food for their under-nourished children and other members of the family. The surplus fish can be sold and the income from it can be used to buy the other needs of their daily life.
There is some interest created among the farmers and they start thinking about it and ask some questions to the extension workers'
Farmers put their questions one by one as follows :
(Q.1.) How can we use any type of pond for fish culture? some ponds are big, some very small; some retain water whole year and some dry up in 4 to 8 months; some already have wild predatory fishes like murrels (pa kho) who will eat other fishes; and some of our ponds are full with weeds like a jungle?
(Q 2.) The more educated farmer asks that we supply paddy fields with irrigation canal water and the drainage water from fields comes to the ponds which has insecticide washings in it and how can we use this poisonous water to grow fish
(Q 3.) Another farmer carelessly says why should be grow fish in ponds, he can catch some from the nearby river/stream whenever he has time? Fish culture in pond will need lot of his time which he does not have.
Later one of the interested and enlightened farmer suggests that they should carefully listen to all the replies from the extension worker. May be he gives us some good ideas and we try it ! Every one says, it is a good suggestion.
The extension worker arranges all the questions put by the farmers on his note book and replies them slowly one by one.
Reply to (Q.1.):
Ponds big or small have soil bottom with organic matter layer and water. In these ponds a large variety of minute organisms of plant and animal origin are constantly produced. These organisms are generally so small that we cannot see them by naked eye without the help of a magnifying glass or microscope. These small organisms are generally called ‘plankton’ in scientific term and we call them fish food organisms because the fishes eat them as food and grow. Apart from these minute organisms, there are also larger insects and other animals which live at the bottom of the pond and on pond margins. Also, some vegetation grows in ponds. So you can clearly see that in pond water there is lot of food produced by nature with the help of organic matter, water and sunlight, it is an efficient “biological kitchen” producing a vast variety of food items for fishes. We can show you some small ‘plankton’ under a field microscope (extension worker takes out the microscope and keeps under it in a watch glass some organisms from pond water after filtering through a cloth). The farmers get quite interested in these organisms. So the extension worker can now explain the farmers that fish food organisms grow naturally in the ponds, no matter pond is big or small. He further explains that there are so many species of fishes in Asia which feed actively on this natural fish food and grow very fast. The extensionist continues that if we can put some lime in the pond to improve the soil and water quality of the pond and apply organic wastes (manures) of animals like cattle, pig, poultry, ducks etc. to the pond, the production of fish food organisms would be very much increased. And more of fish food, better will be the growth of fishes !
Now slowly the farmers get more interested in the talk of the extension worker.
Watching the interest of the farmers, the extensionist explains that ponds perennial or seasonal (4–8 months) could be easily used for fish culture as both the types of ponds produce fish food naturally. Hence it is better to use the perennial ponds to grow market fish and the seasonal small ponds to rear small baby fishes, spawn (5–6 mm) and fry (25–40 mm) to fingerlings (100–150 mm) for stocking later in market fish ponds which may normally have some predators like murrels, etc. who shall quickly eat the small baby fishes (spawn and fry). The seasonal ponds (with water for 4–8 months) can be ideal as nursery and fingerling rearing ponds, as these will not have the predators and also growth of water plants or weeds will not be much. However, these ponds will need careful preparation by way of making sure that there are no predators, the weeds are removed as these shall otherwise utilize the pond nutrients for their own growth and thus plankton production shall be low. In case the seasonal pond is a family pond, the farmer can prepare it as a rearing pond (as explained above by removing predators and weeds and applying lime and manuring the pond) and stock lesser number of fry/fingerlings so that they grow fast as table fish within 4–8 months or so. The above care of fish ponds is called pond management which ensures proper pond preparation and optimum stocking of baby fishes to grow to large size for eating and marketing.
The doubts raised by the farmers are cleared to a large extent, but they still think that the extension worker must demonstrate the fish farming technology to them. Some farmers whisper in a low tone that what is the quantity of lime manure or number of fish, what species of fish shall be stocked, etc. etc., are not mentioned by the extension worker. The extensionist catches their low-tone talks and explains that he shall give more details when he makes his SECOND VISIT to the cooperative. In the FIRST VISIT he wants to create awareness and interest among the farmers and clarify their basic doubts.
The extensionist takes up the second question.
Reply to (Q.2.):
The extension worker highly appreciates the question from the educated farmer and suggests that it is is not good to drain the water with washings of insecticides from agricultural fields into the ponds, such a water is to be drained out separately from the fields. Even the village people if use this pond water for any other purpose like washing animals, clothes, bathing or as drinking water for animals, it is not a good practice, the harmful effects of such water can be known after a long time in the form of serious diseases and even causing deaths of livestock and human beings.
Pond will need good source of water supply such as streams or irrigation canals. After receiving good manures and lime, etc, this water becomes very fertile, but this fertile water in the bottom layers tends to accumulate substances which may prove toxic to fish life due to lack of proper oxygenation. So it will be an excellent practice to remove the lower layers of fertile pond water (rich in organic matter but poor in oxygen) to agricultural fields, orchards and vegetable gardens where the crop yields can be considerably enhanced, and in turn let in the fresh, less fertile, irrigational water into the pond to improve its water quality. Thus by properly arranging the water supply system to the ponds and agricultural fields, the yields of crops and fish are improved and the fertile pond water is rightly utilized. Even after 2–3 years, if the old pond soil is removed to agricultural fields orchards vegetable gardens, there is mutual benefit to the agriculture as well as to fish culture.
The farmers highly appreciate the above suggestions.
Reply to (Q.3.):
The extension worker clarifies that fish culture in ponds is a similar practice as agriculture. The farmers can always go and catch some fish from rivers or streams but what they can catch and in how much time are all uncertain. It is good as a hobby or as earning through catching fishes from open waters, but there is no clash of interest as in any case the farmer shall like to keep the village surroundings clean. maintain their fields, gardens and so their ponds. The animal waste products can be let into the pond; pigsties, duck houses or poultry sheds can be constructed over the pond or along the margin and some fruit plants like banana, papaya, etc. can be planted on the pond embankments. Thus the dirty wild-looking pond will become an attractive place in the village and REMEMBER the fishes also eat mosquito larvae which can help in the control of malaria. As the farmer will like to cut and burn the bushes and clean up an agricultural land, same way he must use the productive fish ponds to grow the highly nutritious fish protein. Even in terms of economic returns, one hectare of well managed fish pond can give higher income to the farmer than from an equivalent area of paddy field. The profit from fish culture is according to the level of management: of the ponds.
An additional question at the end by one of the farmers that most of the people live along the River Mekong, they get fish from the river, so what is the need for them to do fish culture in ponds.
The extension worker appreciates this enquiry as it gives him a chance to explain that most of the rural population is not located just along Mekong where there are fish markets and quite regular supplies of fish, though the price of fish varies a lot according to supply. However, transport of river fish to the villages even near and along Mekong is not too easy, also expensive and beyond the purchasing capacity of the farmers. Therefore, fish culture in the ponds by any means is a sound proposition to utilize the abundant unutilized aquatic resources in a productive way, the same way as we use our lands.
The farmers express their increased interest in fish farming and carry home the idea that they will be able to improve their nutritional and economic standards.
The extension worker thus feeling the pulse and mood of the farmers concludes that the farmers may now quietly think over what all he has said and repeats that, “IN ANY CASE IT IS BETTER TO GET SOME FISHES FROM PONDS THAN NOTHING OR VERY LITTLE”.
The Chief of the village cooperative and the farmers thank the extension worker for his FIRST VISIT and draw a programe for his SECOND VISIT when he shall select some ponds for practical demonstration of FISH CULTURE.
