Reproductive Biology, Induced Breeding and Cage-Culture Growth Performance of Climbing Perch (Anabas Testudineus, Bloch 1792): Implications for Small-Scale Aquaculture Extension

Abstract

Climbing perch, Anabas testudineus (Bloch, 1792), is a high-value air-breathing fish widely favoured by small and marginal farmers of eastern and north-western India for its hardiness, disease resistance and premium market price, yet its wider adoption in aquaculture is constrained by low natural fecundity and the absence of a standardized hatchery protocol. The present study examined (i) the fecundity-length-weight relationship of wild broodstock collected from two geographically separated wetland habitats, (ii) the comparative efficacy of carp pituitary extract (CPE) and the synthetic hormones Ovaprim and Ovatide for induced breeding, and (iii) the growth, survival and economic performance of A. testudineus fingerlings reared in bamboo cages installed within farmers' ponds. Fecundity increased with total length and body weight in both habitats (power-function fit; Habitat I: r = 0.92; Habitat II: r = 0.87), confirming length as a practical field predictor of egg output. Among the nine hormone-dose combinations tested, Ovatide at 0.4 ml/kg body weight of female (Group H) produced the highest fertilization (98.15 ± 1.8%) and hatching rate (94.50 ± 2.8%), followed closely by Ovaprim at 0.7 ml/kg (Group F). Cage-reared fingerlings attained a weight gain of 2871.43 ± 4.50% over a 7-month culture cycle with 91% survival, and economic appraisal indicated a benefit-cost ratio of 3.35 for the first crop. A parallel on-farm demonstration comparing genetically improved Jayanti rohu (Labeo rohita) with native rohu under mono- and composite-culture regimes showed the improved strain outperforming native stock by up to 52.9-fold in cumulative weight gain by the eleventh month. These findings provide an evidence base for extending standardized breeding and cage-culture protocols to resource-poor fish farmers as a low-input, high-return aquaculture diversification option.