1. The basic requirement for fish culture development is the successful production of healthy fingerlings of the cultivated fishes in large quantities. The production capacity of the existing breeding and distributing centres and small farms must be raised to the maximum according to the increasing demand.
The water supply problem has to be solved in two breeding and distributing centres (Parwanipur and Biratnagar/Tarhara).
All the projects should concentrate on mass propagation of the herbivorous fishes and, where there is demand, of Indian major carps.
In order to gain enough nursing and rearing pond area it would be advisable to shift the common carp fingerling production to the private sector by degrees through teaching and training the farmers in this activity.
More publicity, a suitable price policy and effective extension activity are needed for the distribution of fingerlings.
The advantage of mixed fish culture should be explained and promoted among the fish growers and the distribution of the fingerlings should be made according to the correct proportions of the mixed fish stocks.
2. The Balaju Central Hatchery should be developed as a centre for mass production of fry and fingerlings of the different cultivated fishes, training and demonstrations in fish propagation and experiments for the introduction of new and more effective propagation, nursing and rearing techniques.
The Balaju Hatchery will be able to produce fry in unlimited numbers but its fingerling production capacity is limited. Because the transport of fry by air is cheap and easy, it would be advisable to establish nursing and rearing units as outposts of the central hatchery in different parts of the country where fingerlings are needed.
3. Hatchery-farms, with the main target of fingerling production, have a greater impact on fish culture development than the government-managed commercial farms. In the interest of further development, new hatchery-farms must be established at first, using the pattern of the Rajbiraj and Balaju projects by producing successively the different fingerlings of the cultivated fishes.
4. New fish farms should be constructed as demonstration centres in the area, with a strong fingerling production unit. This will enable the project to change its main target from table fish production to fingerling production or vice versa, according to the need.
5. It seems that is little hope at present of establishing large government or corporation managed networks of commercial fish farms aiming to provide enough table fish for the country. The different personnel and material conditions for such a development are not available.
6. Strong administrative and organizational efforts should be concentrated on utilizing the existing village tanks and reservoirs for intensive fish culture. The most lasting and easy solution appears to be to organize fishermen's cooperatives and to lease them the communal water bodies for a long term.
7. The farmers should be encouraged and assisted technically to construct fish ponds and small fish farms on areas of their property which are not fully suitable for other types of cultivation.
8. The fish-cum-duck culture is an important method of producing more animal protein on the same pond area. It would be desirable to extend this type of culture over most areas of the country. As a first step toward this, a duckling distributing and duck raising consulting centre should be developed at the Pipley fish farm.
9. Individual training, training courses, correspondence courses, demonstrations, exhibitions, discussion and exchange of technical experience sessions should be organized in the interest of increasing the technical knowledge of the people in fish culture.
10. Due to the special geographical situation and difficulties in communication, it does not seem advisable to establish one central fishery and fish culture research laboratory. Instead, it would be advisable to concentrate research on propagation, nursing and rearing, prevention and cure of fingerling diseases, etc., to Balaju; research on practical pond fish culture and intensive utilization of village tanks to Janakpur, and the surveys and research of the natural waters (rivers and lakes) in Pokhara.
11. Greater attention must be paid to the further extension of the paddy-cum-fish culture. It would be advisable to mark out paddy-cum-fish development areas in the regions and districts where common carp propagation and fingerling rearing ponds and demonstration plots would be furnished and steady year after year fingerling distribution organized.
12. To assist lake fisheries and fish culture development in the Pokhara Valley, it would be advisable to construct a hatchery-farm to provide enough fingerlings of cultured fishes for stocking the lakes in addition to pond and paddy-fish culture in the area. This hatchery would be used for the propagation of the valuable indigenous fishes of the lakes to replace the stock year after year.
13. To help the development of tourism, it would be useful to organize a sport fishing centre in Pokhara where rod, tackle, and other angling gear can be hired out, the bait procured and, if necessary, skilled fishing guides made available. Such sport angling centres could also be organized near the Kathmandu Valley as well as, for instance, in Trisuli and Dholalghat.
14. To encourage trout fisheries development, it would be advisable to make experimental stockings in adequate rivers, such as in the Lam Tang River, Trisuli Khola by Dhunche, Sunkosi above the hydroelectric project and in suitable rivers in the Pokhara Valley.
15. In order to further the development of the river fishery, a comprehensive fishery biological survey of the rivers should be undertaken.
