Economic Importance of Fish
(i) Fish as food:
The fish flesh is an excellent source of protein, has very little fat, carries a good amount of minerals and vitamins A and D and rich in iodine. Above all man can digest it easily.
(ii) Fish for controlling diseases:
Diseases like malaria, yellow fever and other dreadful diseases that are spread through mosquitoes can be controlled. Larvivorous fish eat larva of mosquito. The important larvivorous fish are Gambusia, Panchax, Haplochitus, Trichogaster, etc.
(iii) Scientific value:
Some fish like the lung fish are of zoological importance because of their discontinuous distribution and anatomical features.
(iv) Aesthetic value:
A large number of fish are cultured in aquarium for their beauty and graceful movements. The important aquarium fish are Macropodus, Trichogaster, Carassinus (gold fish) and Pterophyllum (angel fish).
(v) Fishery Bye-products:
(a) Fish oil: It is extracted from the liver of the sharks, sawfishes, skates and rays and has medicinal value. These mainly include cod liver oil and shark liver oil.
(b) Fish Manure: The fish waste after the extraction of oil, is used as fertilizers,
(c) Fish Glue: It is a sticky product, obtained from the skin of the cod and is used as gum
(d) Isinglass: It is a gelatinous substance, obtained from the air bladder of perches, Indian Salmons and cat fish used in the preparation of special cement and in the clarification of wine and beer,
(e) Shagreen: The skin of sharks and rays, which has pointed and sharp placoid scales are used in polishing the wood and other materials. It is also used for covering the jewellery boxes and swords,
(f) Leather: A highly durable type of leather is prepared from the skin of sharks and rays,
(g) Artificial pearls: The silvery boney scales of cypnmids (a type of fish) are used in the manufacture of artificial pearls especially in France.
(vi) Employment: Development of fishing industry generates more employment opportu-nities.
(vii) Source of Income: The fishing industry has brought a lot of income to the farmers in particular and the country in general. Now we can talk about “Blue Revolution” (fish production) on the same lines as ‘Green Revolution’ (for producing enough food for all).
Read More-
- Basics of Silviculture
- Agriculture History of India
- Silvicultural System of Concentrated Regeneration
- Coppice System of Silviculture
- Branches of Horticulture
