No mechanism is in existence to regulate the domestic aquarium trade in country

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1 A Code of conduct needs to be practiced by all the producers, traders and hobbyists of ornamental fish for sustainable development of industry and contribute to a skilled, clean and healthy India. Atul Kumar Jain Ornamental Fisheries Training and Research Institute, Udaipur , Rajasthan, Website: atulsalinewater@yahoo.co.in 1. Introduction The ornamental fish keeping is becoming a very popular hobby and a fast developing economic activity in India since the beginning of 21 st century. It is estimated that presently 2% of 50.0 million middle income group house-holds (MIGHh) in country are keeping an aquarium mainly in urban India either at home or work places. The Indian ornamental fish industry is providing employment to about 50,000 people through 5000 aquarium retail outlets and almost similar number of production units with a total domestic aquarium trade of INR 3000 million (Jain et.al.,2016). The country is also exporting ornamental fish to several other countries of the world which valued INR 56.5 million only during The domestic aquarium trade has been following a cyclic relation of demand and supply so far i.e. the supply (number of retail outlets and production units) triggered the demand (number of hobbyists) which in turn stimulated supply (Jain, 2016). The domestic trade has been growing at its own in an unorganized manner during all these periods since independence with very limited institutional support but in conjunction with economic development of the country. The number of ornamental fish hobbyists is continuously increasing in the country due to many reasons viz; increasing per capita income, change in spending behavior of Indian consumers with emphasis to spend on hobby, increasing number of MIGHh, cheaper and easy availability of The number of middle income group households in country increased from 31.4 million (Census 2001) to 50 million by which will be million by

2 ornamental fish and aquarium accessories due to increasing number of aquarium retail outlets, increasing belief of a common man on concepts of Vastu, Fengshi and other religious considerations, the necessity of a companion due to nuclear families and the ease of keeping fish as a pet over other animals. The keeping of an aquarium for decoration, entertainment and health benefits are well known. 2. Need of a regulatory mechanism for ornamental fish industry The domestic aquarium trade and the ornamental fish industry is expected to grow many folds in next few years as stated above as well as due to increasing institutional support. However, it is the absence of a regulatory mechanism which is limiting the availability of quality fish & quality service to the hobbyist and hindering the sustainable development of ornamental fish No mechanism is in existence to regulate the domestic aquarium trade in country industry. It is because of these reasons that India is not able to mark a significant presence in world ornamental fish trade where as other south-asian countries are having dominant presence. Hence, there is need of applying certain standard management practices and code of conduct at all the levels which includes producers of ornamental fish, aquarium traders and the hobbyists. It is the lack of knowledge at all these three levels which is limiting sustainable development and an exponential growth of the industry. There are not any laws & acts for regularizing and controlling the activities of ornamental fish industry in the country presently, though some efforts have been initiated that are awaiting implementation. 2.1 Aquarium Fish Breeding and Marketing Rules 2010 The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) is a statutory body established under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act., AWBI had framed Pet Shop Rules 2010 and Aquarium Fish Breeding and Marketing Rules 2010 to regularize the trade of all types of pet animals in the country (AWBI, 2010). It was proposed to make it mandatory for all the pet dealers to obtain a license from the local administrative body. The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MOEF) did not considered the proposal of AWBI as MOEF was not empowered to notify such rules. The MOEF had sought the opinion of the Ministry of Law and Justice (ML J) on

3 this issue. The MLJ mentioned that such rules cannot be framed unless there is an enabling provision that confers powers on the Central Government to do so. Thereafter, the AWBI approached to the Law Commission of India for examining the same and guiding the concerned agencies for implementation of the same. The Law Commission also expressed its inability to take up the study on the subject at that time. However, the commission received several representations around the same time from various animal rights and animal welfare organizations from across the country and decided to examine the issue in further details. The Law commission under the Chairmanship of Honb le Justice A.P. Shah studied the issue in detail and recommended that the Central Government must seriously take cognizance of the issue and regulate the trade in pet shops and practices followed in dog breeding and aquarium fish breeding (Shah et.al., 2015). The commission also recommended that rules as framed by AWBI may be notified and implemented at the earliest. Now, the MOEF has notified of Pet Shop Rule 2016 which excludes fish breeding and marketing rule (Prasad, 2017). It is not known if it will be enacted at a later date. The FMR 2010 in its present form is very rigid, irrelevant and unfriendly for the development of ornamental fisheries and the hobby of ornamental fish keeping. It allows trading of only 97 varieties of freshwater ornamental fish and all varieties of platy and sword tail. Hence, there is need of intervention by all those government departments (viz; MPEDA, NFDB, ICAR) that are working for development and promotion of ornamental industry in country so to take a timely suitable action. 2.2 Green Certification Scheme The aquarium trade regulatory process has to be operationally feasible and user s friendly The Marine Products Export Development Authority (Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India) has formulated Green Certification Scheme for regularizing production and export of freshwater ornamental fish from the country. A special task force was constituted which included researchers, academicians, entrepreneurs and development officers and led by Dr. E.G.Silas, Former Vice-Chancellor, Kerala Agriculture University, Thrissur, Kerala. The task force did a tremendous exercise and developed a set of guidelines for collection of ornamental

4 fish from wild, handling, transport, holding, breeding & culture facilities, conditioning for exports, infrastructure and maintenance of records to conform to a value chain system for delivering healthy ornamental fish to the trade and the hobbyist (Silas et.al., 2011). It also included issuing a license to all the freshwater ornamental fish breeding units in the country initially voluntarily and subsequently mandatory but it is yet not implemented. However, it did not include guidelines for aquarium traders and hobbyists. 3. Characteristics of ornamental fish producers, traders and hobbyists in India The ornamental fish production and the hobby of ornamental fish keeping were in existence in India since pre-independence but it gained momentum since the beginning of 21 st century. It resulted in significant increase of the number of producers, traders and hobbyists of ornamental fish. It led to unprecedented growth of ornamental fisheries trade which could be mainly attributed to lack of proper knowledge and all the unethical business practices adopted by producers & traders that are negatively contributing to the Indian ornamental fish industry. It will be useful here to mention the characteristics of ornamental fish producers, traders and hobbyists in country so to realize the importance of a Code of conduct in ornamental fisheries trade. 3.1 Ornamental fish producers The culture of ornamental fish was earlier limited to few villages near Kolkatta in West Bengal, Mumbai in Maharastra and lately Kolathur near Chennai in Tamilandu. It was adopted as a backyard activity to marginally support the family income. The culture methods were based on low input technology. The producers had developed the skills of breeding a few selected varieties of fish and rearing the young ones to a marketable size over the years of experience. It became more popular in West Bengal as many of the local fishermen were involved in breeding and rearing of Indian Major Carps. These people though pioneer in the field but were not aware of the concepts of genetic improvement, quality control, health management, new strain Small house-hold production units continue to remain major supplier of ornamental fish development and colour enhancement etc. However, the importance of various types of live

5 feeds (Moina, Daphnia, Tubifex worms, Blood worms and mosquito larvae), which were being sourced mainly from sewage channels of the city could be established for maturation and growth of different types of ornamental fish. As a result of limited knowledge base of breeders and unhygienic traditional production practices, the ornamental fish grown in captivity in India are not in demand in international trade. All the old centers (except Mumbai) and traditional practices of ornamental fish production still continue to remain the major supplier of ornamental fish to the trade though a shift is also being noticed. The new units that are being established now are owned by a new generation of fisheries professionals and other educated youth. They do understand the importance of quality, scientific management etc and willing to upgrade their knowledge so as to produce quality fish to cater to international market. However, there is need of a Code of conduct at the level of ornamental fish producers to produce and supply quality fish to the hobbyists. 3.2 Aquarium traders There were only few aquarium shops in country before A backyard unit of ornamental fish production A modern unit of ornamental fish production 1990 limited to metro & major cities. The aquarium traders were mostly aquarium hobbyists who turned their hobby into a profession. It was only after 1990 that the number of aquarium shops started growing which is presently about 5000 in number. Many of the new aquarium traders neither have any formal education nor Aquarium traders need to be adequately knowledgeable as they are important link in the promotion of ornamental fish keeping hobby.

6 any specialized training in the field. It was adopted by them as a profession because either the trader was an employee earlier in the similar trade for a short period of time or an aquarium shop in the neighborhood is doing a good business. It does not mean that one need to be highly qualified or be a fisheries graduate to adopt aquarium trade. It could be easily and successfully adopted even by unqualified people but there is need of gaining experience and acquiring skills of the trade under the guidance of experienced/trained personnel. It is because of the higher presence of unqualified and inexperienced traders and all the unethical business practices adopted by many aquarium traders that a novice hobbyist does not grow to a mature hobbyist. These traders neither have proper knowledge about the care and keeping of ornamental fish nor willing to share it with the hobbyists. It is intended that the customer will revisit them in case of a problem and buy few other items. Some of the common advices that are given to a hobbyist by such aquarium traders are: a. Do replace water at an interval of every days. b. Add blue color liquid at an interval of 5-7 days in the aquarium tank. c. Do feed your fish four to five times in a day. d. Keep on lights all the time of a day so to help in heating of water. It reduces the life of fish, turns the process very troublesome and discourages the hobbyists. On the other side, an experienced and qualified trader will try to educate the novice hobbyists about proper care and keeping of aquarium. It will certainly increase the initial cost of the aquarium as it will include all the essential accessories viz; aerators, filters, heaters etc. Many a times a novice hobbyist is not attracted to buy aquarium from such shops because of high initial cost and buys an aquarium at low cost without essential accessories. It results into higher maintenance cost and most of the time pre-mature termination of the hobby. A novice hobbyist is unknown to fish keeping practice though now days they try to educate themselves through different types of social media before they plan to buy an aquarium. But, a

7 piece of advice given by an aquarium dealer is most important of all. Secondly, a hobbyist is unable to differentiate between experienced and inexperienced dealer at this stage. The low initial cost remains the major decision factor for a buyer to decide the supplier in most of the cases. Hence, there is need to follow a Code of conduct by aquarium traders for sustainable growth of aquarium trade. 3.3 Ornamental fish hobbyists The number of aquarium hobbyist has grown many folds in country during the last two decades. It is estimated that about 1.25% of a total of million urban house-holds in the country are keeping an aquarium presently which was very less before It is very less with that to developed countries viz; USA (21%), U.K. (16.6%) and Canada (13.5%). But, it is in terms of percentage of population otherwise, in terms of absolute numbers, it is quite high and expected to increase further as stated above. An Indian ornamental fish hobbyist could be categorized into three categories that are novice, mature and a rich hobbyist. An aquarium is a tank of glass for a major percentage of novice hobbyists which is filled with water, decorated with some pebbles, plastic plants & toys, installed with an air pump (optional) and stocked with some fish and thereafter fish should never ever die. Many a times, a hobbyist wants to start the hobby keeping a small glass bowl with a large pair of gold fish. It is observed that 25-30% of novice hobbyists discontinue keeping fish within first year of the purchase. A rich hobbyist is also like a novice hobbyist but they can be convinced to install all the essential accessories which they will buy but with a warning that Do install whatever you want but fish should not die. It is the group of matured hobbyists who tries to learn the science and art of aquarium keeping. They are willing to pay the price for all Aquarium hobbyists need to learn the science and art of ornamental fish keeping as it will enhance the life span of fish in aquarium

8 essential accessories and also spend reasonably on purchase of fish. They may buy even high value fish but overall the demand of only low value (INR per fish) and medium value (INR per fish) fish is high which constitute about 91% of total ornamental fish traded in the domestic market (Jain, 2016). However, the number of matured hobbyists is much less than novice and rich hobbyists. Hence, there is need to follow a Code of conduct by aquarium hobbyists for development of ornamental fish keeping hobby. 4. Need of a Code of Conduct The present status of ornamental fish industry in the country and the immense developmental potential suggests that there is need of following a Code of Conduct (C-o-C) at all the levels of supply chain and the hobbyists. The existence and application of a C-o-C becomes more necessary and useful in absence of any trade regulatory mechanism presently. The C-o-C should be a self practiced process whereby a producer and trader will be responsible for producing a quality fish and providing a quality service to the customer whereas a hobbyist will be responsible to maintain the same in a healthy environment. A self imposed C-o-C need to be practiced by all the producers, traders & hobbyists of ornamental fish 4.1 C-o-C for producer of ornamental fish The ornamental fish production is providing employment to many people and can further largely contribute to entrepreneurship (UDHYAMITA) development in country. However, they are required to produce good quality fish. Therefore, they are expected to practice a set of following listed C-o-C for disciplined development of trade: a. Unauthorized propagation: An ornamental fish producer should abstain from breeding all those exotic varieties of ornamental fish that are not permitted to be kept legally in the country. They should obtain necessary permissions from Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries (Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India) for introducing any exotic species in the

9 trade. They should also avoid any unethical practices that might be painful to a fish directly or indirectly. b. Disease free fish: An Ornamental fish producer shall always adopt all those prophylactic measures and quarantine practices that are essential to keep their stock free of any disease. In case of occurrence of any disease, it should be treated with proper medication and any dead fish should be disposed safely. c. Hygiene: The entire work place and all equipments, nets etc. that come in any direct or indirect contact of the fish should always be kept neat and clean. All the workers in the premises shall strictly follow the guidelines of bio-safety measures and Best Management Practices (BMP) which are well displayed in work area. d. Yeast (A type of Live Fish Feed): An ornamental fish producer shall prefer to feed their fish stock at all those in-house cultured live feeds that are naturally consumed by that species. The use of different live feeds collected from unhygienic sources should be strictly avoided. e. Atmosphere: It is the legal and social responsibility of the ornamental fish producer to safe guard all the surrounding environment (terrestrial and aquatic) from any kind of direct or indirect damage. They should neither release any untreated farm effluents in to surroundings nor release any exotic ornamental fish in to the native water bodies. f. Mission: The major mission of the ornamental fish producer shall be Promotion of ornamental fish keeping hobby which shall be supplemented by the objective of business development. g. Inbreeding: A regular practice of inbreeding (breeding of fish from the same parents) of stocks is the major cause of quality deterioration of ornamental fish. An ornamental fish producer shall avoid the practices of inbreeding of stocks. h. Training: An ornamental fish producer should have proper knowledge of the subject either through a formal education programme or informal learning. They should try to keep themselves updated on the latest developments in the field and share the same with others.

10 i. Abide: An ornamental fish producer shall abide by all the local, regional and national laws so to support sustainable development of ornamental fish production, trade and hobby. 4.2 C-o-C for ornamental fish & aquarium traders The ornamental fish keeping adds to the overall ambience of the surroundings and conveys the message of maintaining cleanliness (SWACHHATA) of the place. Therefore, an aquarium trader is expected to adhere to a set of following listed C-o-C so as to contribute to the concept of cleanliness and disciplined development of trade: a. Safety: An aquarium trader should always fabricate an aquarium tank with the glass of required thickness, using only good quality glass. The glass of less thickness and inferior quality should not be used to reduce the cost. The use of toughened and laminated glass is recommended for large size aquarium. b. Water: Every aquarium tank should have provision of water filtration, aeration as well as temperature maintenance so to maintain the optimum water quality (Temperature, ph, Dissolved Oxygen and Ammonia) as per the requirement of specific fish. c. Acclimatization: A new stock of fish should be sufficiently acclimatized (24-48 hrs.) by the aquarium trader before marketing. Fish that do not recover from transportation stress should not be sold. d. Coaching: Every aquarium trader should have either some formal qualification (degree/diploma/certificate) in the field of fisheries science/life science/veterinary science or some informal work experience of the trade under the guidance of some experienced professional and should be sufficiently knowledgeable and skilled to do the business of aquarium trading without any unethical practices. e. Hygiene: The aquarium trader shall always maintain the neatness of the premises assuring hygiene and welfare for all i.e. fish, aquarium trader and customers. f. Hobbyist: An aquarium trader should try to educate the hobbyist on aquarium fish keeping, provide a list of Do s and Don ts of ornamental fish keeping and should not misguide them for

11 the sake of business. An aquarium trader should neither sale any restricted variety nor any non-compatible group of fish/aquatic animals to the hobbyist. g. Aquarium Capacity: The aquarium tanks should never be overstocked. The number and size of fish that are kept in aquarium tanks of shop at any time should always be in relation to the water holding capacity and efficiency of filtration system. h. Treatment: An aquarium trader should have proper quarantine and treatment facilities. They should not sale a diseased fish and advise the hobbyist for undesired medication. i. Advise: An aquarium trader should be responsive to the complaints of customers and advise them properly so that an hobbyist is able to further nurture the hobby and also encourage others to keep an aquarium. 4.3 C-o-C for ornamental fish hobbyists The watching of colorful ornamental fish in a beautifully maintained aquarium gives a sense of both physical and mental relaxation. It is considered of a great help in improving concentration of the mind. It all contributes to health (SWASTHAYA) of the hobbyists. An aquarium hobbyist is expected to adhere to a set of following listed C-o-C so as to fully enjoy the hobby of fish keeping: a. Safety: A hobbyist should never purchase an aquarium tank of insufficient glass thickness than actually needed, according to the size of an aquarium tank. If they are doing so, they are compromising with the safety of their family members. b. Water: The water quality (temperature, ph, dissolved oxygen and ammonia) of the aquarium tank shall be maintained at optimum level as per the requirement of fish species homed in the aquarium through installation of proper filters, aeration, heaters as well as timely exchange of water. c. Acclimatization: Any new fish should be sufficiently acclimatized before it is introduced to an aquarium. A sudden change of environment will result in stress to the fish which is not recoverable some time. d. Stocking: The aquarium tank should never be overstocked. The number and size of fish that are kept in an aquarium should always be in relation to the water holding capacity of the aquarium. As a thumb rule, about 4.5 liters of freshwater is required for each 1

12 length of freshwater fish and 18 liters of seawater is required for each 1 length of marine fish. The aquarium should be stocked with compatible group of fish only. e. Training: A hobbyist shall try to educate himself/herself about ornamental fish keeping and aquarium maintenance through a reliable source viz; formal/informal training, guidance from aquarium traders/friends, books etc. Many a times, it is because of the lack of knowledge of the hobbyists that they are not able to properly maintain the aquarium. f. Health: All the fish in an aquarium should be maintained in good condition through proper & timely feeding and water quality maintenance. Any unspecific application of medicines should be avoided. g. Amoral: It is the moral and social responsibility of the hobbyist that they should never dispose/release any aquarium fish in any open water system i.e. ponds, lakes, reservoirs, streams, sea etc. h. Young: An aquarium should always be maintained properly and kept looking beautiful and young so as to always feel refreshed, energized and calm by watching it. i. Attention: A hobbyist should always be attentive to any behavioral change in any of the fish in aquarium. It could be a sign of change of water quality or any stress or early symptoms of a disease. 5. Conclusion A set of guidelines on C-o-C and trade regulation practices are in place in most of the developed countries of the world for all the stake holders. The producers and traders of ornamental fish in several smaller south-east Asian countries are also following certain guidelines and C-o-C that are either imposed by local government agencies, associations of ornamental fish producers & traders, aquarium hobbyists clubs or self practiced by the stake holders. It has been largely helpful for sustainable development of the trade as well as promotion of fish keeping hobby. As a result many of these smaller countries are exporting large quantity of ornamental fish to developed countries of the world. In India, the ornamental fish industry is in existence since pre-independence but neither we are able to make a significant presence in international trade

13 nor promote the hobby of ornamental fish keeping similar to other developed countries while there is immense potential in both. In view of this Marine Products Export Development Authority (Ministry of Commerce & Industry, GOI), Kochi and National Fisheries Development Board (Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, GOI), Hyderabad has introduced several schemes for the development of ornamental fisheries. However, there is need of trade regulatory mechanism and practicing of a C-o-C by producers, traders and hobbyists of ornamental fish for sustainable development of ornamental fish industry in the country. References 1. AWBI, (2010). Aquarium fish breeding and marketing rules. Animal Welfare Board of India.,72 P. 2. Jain, A. K., (2016). An overview of freshwater ornamental fish production industry in India. In : (Eds: Jain, A. K., Saini, V. P., Kaur, V. I.,), Best management practices for freshwater ornamental fish production. National Fisheries Development Board (Ministry of agriculture and farmers welfare, Government of India), Hyderabad, India Prasad, R. P. (2017). Prevention of cruelty to animals (Pet shop) Rules, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate change, Government of India, 18 P 4. Shah, A.P., Kapoor, S.N., Sharma, M. C., Mehra, U., Malhotra, P. K., Singh, S., Raju, G. N. (2015). Need to regulate pet shops and dog and aquarium fish breeding. Law Commission of India, Government of India. Report No. 261: 31 P. 5. Silas,E.g., Gopalakrishnan,A., Ramachandran,A., Anna Mercy, T.V., Kripan Sarkar, Pushpangadan, K.R., Anil Kumar, P., Ram Mohan, M.K. & Anikuttan, K.K. (2011). Guidelines for Green Ceertification of Freshwater Ornamental Fish. The Marine Products Export Development Authority, Kochi, India.106 p.