Kendrapara: A fisherman from a remote village in Orissa has created a record of sorts with unseasonal breeding of catla, a fresh water Indian carp.

While four months from April are the normal season for spawning seeds, Kamalakanta Swain, a fisherman of Bhagabanpur village in Kendrapara district could successfully breed the fish on February 23 this year.

Swain wanted higher yield of fish seeds and approached the Bhubaneswar-based Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture. With the application of medicine recently developed by CIFA, spawning could take place beyond the normal season.

The medication acted as a catalyst and inducer that resulted in ovulation and spawning beyond the normal season, CIFA senior scientist Padmanav Routray said.

CIFA extended technical help to Swain for round-the-year spawning of catla seeds which were always in short supply, he said. "This form of unseasoned spawning of fish seeds is a major breakthrough," he said.

"Never before has captive breeding of carp in field conditions occurred in the country. Credit for it goes to the enterprising farmer though CIFA scientists guided him and provided technical expertise," Routray said.

Stating that about one million catla spawn emerged from the field experiment from captive breeding, Routray said, "the technical intervention for round-the-year breeding will boost production of fish larvae. It's a positive development for aquaculture industry in the state."

The fisherman, on his part said, "I began a fish seed breeding centre two years ago. With finance from the local State Bank of India, my centre's production reached 40 million per annum. Our yield will now go up manifold with round-the-year spawning.

"I am elated to know that unseasoned spawning has taken place for the first time. But for the assistance of CIFA, my experiment would not have been a success," Swain, who also runs successfully a milk chilling plant in the village, said with a tinge of pride.