Full Text
REGD. No. D. L.-33004/99
The Gazette of India
CG-DL-E-02072025-264260
EXTRAORDINARY
PART II-Section 3-Sub-section (ii)
PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY
NEW DELHI, MONDAY, JUNE 30, 2025/ASHADHA 9, 1947
4280 GI/2025
THE GAZETTE OF INDIA : EXTRAORDINARY
[PART II-SEC. 3(ii)]
THE GAZETTE OF INDIA : EXTRAORDINARY
[PART II-SEC. 3(ii)]
THE GAZETTE OF INDIA : EXTRAORDINARY
[PART II-SEC. 3(ii)]
MINISTRY OF FISHERIES, ANIMAL HUSBANDRY AND DAIRYING
(Department of Fisheries)
Notification
New Delhi, the 26th June, 2025
S.O. 2897(E).- In pursuance of the section 3 of the Coastal Aquaculture Authority Act, 2005 (24 of 2005),
read with clause (i) of rule 3 of the Coastal Aquaculture Authority Rules, 2024, the Central Government hereby notifies
the following guidelines, namely:-
1. Short title and commencement.- (1) These guidelines may be called the Hatcheries and Farms for Seed
Production and culture of marine finfishes Guidelines, 2025.
(2) They shall come into force from the date of their publication in the Official Gazette.
THE GAZETTE OF INDIA: EXTRAORDINARY
[PART II-SEC. 3(ii)]
PART I
Safeguards and regulations for operation of marine finfish hatcheries
1. Application criteria for marine finfish hatcheries.- (1) The hatcheries engaged or intending to be engaged in
seed production of marine finfish having the required biosecurity facilities and in-house quarantine facility as
specified by the Coastal Aquaculture Authority shall be eligible to apply for registration under the Coastal
Aquaculture Authority Act, 2005 (24 of 2005) (herein after referred as the said Act) and the Coastal Aquaculture
Authority Rules, 2024 (herein after referred as the said rules) to produce and sell fertilised eggs or fry or
fingerlings of marine finfish.
(2) The hatchery operator shall submit application in Form II of the said rules to the Authority enclosing therewith
the required documents as specified in Schedule II of the said rules and payment of registration fee of rupees ten
thousand for registration of hatchery in accordance with the procedure laid down in rule 9 of the said rules.
(3) A detailed project report indicating the infrastructure, production capacity, technology support, employment
generation, economics of operation, etc., shall be submitted along with application.
(4) Approval of the hatchery for seed production of marine finfish shall be given by the Authority after due
inspection of the hatchery facilities by a team constituted by the Authority for this purpose in accordance with
the procedure laid down in rule 11 of the said rules.
(5) The hatchery facilities shall have strict biosecurity control through physical separation or isolation of the
different production facilities or isolation through the construction of barriers and implementation of process and
product flow controls.
(6) The hatchery facility shall have a wall or fence around the periphery of the premises, with at least six feet
height to prevent the entry of animals and unauthorised persons to reduce the risk of pathogen introduction into
the culture system.
2. Sanitary requirement.- (1) The entry to the hatchery shall be restricted to the personnel assigned to work
exclusively in this area and a record of personnel entering the facility to be maintained by the security personnel.
(2) The entry of any person including staff shall be allowed compulsorily only after taking shower wearing and
working clothes and boots before entering into facility and the same procedure shall be followed at the end of the
working shift.
(3) A provision shall be made for disinfection of vehicle tyres (tyre baths at the gate with > 100 ppm of active
ingredients Sodium/calcium hypochlorite solution), feet (foot baths containing 50 ppm of Potassium
permanganate/20 ppm of hypochlorite solution), and hands [bottles containing iodine-PVP (20 ppm and / or 70%
alcohol)] to be used upon entering and exiting the unit.
(4) All the cleaning chemicals, sanitary chemicals and other inputs materials shall be stored separately with proper
labelling outside the production area.
(5) Hatchery surrounding shall be maintained hygienically throughout the production cycle without any
accumulation of waste materials.
3. Water intake.- (1) Each functional unit of the hatchery shall have independent water treatment facility isolated
from all other water supply systems and separate recirculation systems shall be used for each functional unit of
hatchery to reduce water usage and improve biosecurity, especially in high-risk areas.
(2) Water for the hatchery shall be filtered and treated to prevent the entry of vectors and pathogens that may be
present in the source water by initial filtering through sub-sand well points, sand filters (gravity or pressure), or
mesh bag filters, into the first reservoir or settling tank.
(3) After primary disinfection by chlorination or ozonation and after settlement, the water shall be filtered again
with a finer filter and then disinfected using ultraviolet light or ozone before the water is being utilised in the
concerned section.
(4) The water supply system may include use of activated carbon filters, Ethylene Diamine Tetra Acetic acid and
temperature and salinity regulation.
4. Water treatment and discharge of wastewater.- (1) The discharged water from the hatchery shall be held
temporarily and treated with hypochlorite solution (>20 ppm active chlorine for not less than sixty minutes) or
other effective disinfectant prior to discharge. (2) The seawater to be used in the facility shall be delivered into a
storage tank where it shall be treated with hypochlorite solution (20 ppm active ingredient for not less than thirty
minutes) followed by sodium thiosulphate (1 ppm for every ppm of residual chlorine) or ozonation and strong
aeration.
(3) No wastewater shall be released out of the hatchery without chlorination and dechlorination, so as to prevent
the escape of the pathogens or parasites into the natural waters.
(4) Effluent Treatment System shall be designed as specified by the Authority.
5. Hatchery infrastructure.- (1) Various sections of the hatchery like the broodstock holding tanks or ponds,
laboratory for hormone preparation, embryo and larval growth monitoring, egg incubation units, larval rearing
units, mechanical filtration units, UV or Ozone plant, indoor algal culture, rotifer and copepod production, etc.,
shall be physically isolated and shall follow single entry and exit to avoid contamination.
(2) The hatchery perimeter shall be secured with fencing to deter entry of animals and unauthorized persons.
6. Disinfection of implements.- (1) Used containers and hoses shall be washed and disinfected with hypochlorite
solution (20 ppm) before further use.
(2) Aeration lines shall be disinfected by fumigating with formalin.
(3) All the new inward materials or equipment shall be disinfected by using fumigation equipment (200 ppm
formalin).
(4) The technical person is responsible for the operation of the unit duly maintaining the optimal levels of water
quality parameters as specified in the para 4 of the Guidelines for regulating Coastal aquaculture for parameters
such as Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, DO, Temperature, pH, and Salinity before stocking.
(5) Each broodstock holding tank shall have,-
(i) a separate set of implements that must be clearly marked and placed near the tanks; and
(ii) facilities for disinfection of all the implements at the end of each day's use.
7. Quarantine.- The Coastal Aquaculture Authority shall have right to carry out the inspection of the in-house
quarantine and hatchery at any time or may assign this responsibility to any designated Agency or Committee, as
and when required.
(1) Broodstock collection:
(i) sub adult and adult broodstock of marine finfishes shall be procured or collected from the wild or a farmer's
pond or brood bank to make them mature at the hatchery facility;
(ii) sub adult and adult broodstock shall be free from pathogens, injuries or deformities, shall be transported
to the in-house quarantine facility in the broodstock transportation tanks with oxygenated water;
(iii) record on the traceability of the source of these stocks shall be maintained to avoid inbreeding.
(2) Broodstock quarantine:
(i) the hatchery operator shall establish a proper and fully bio-secured facility;
(ii) broodstock collected shall be quarantined in this in-house facility for two weeks before entry in to
hatchery;
(iii) the broodstock fish shall be tagged for individual identification;
(iv) Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) testing for virus such as Viral Nervous Necrosis (VNN) etc. and
external inspection for parasite shall be done while in quarantine section.
(v) quarantine discharge water shall be treated separately before releasing into effluent treatment system.
(3) Standard operating procedure for in-house quarantine facility:-
(i) The following shall be the procedure for receiving broodstock at in-house quarantine facility, namely:-
(a) vehicle shall pass through tyre bath at the hatchery premises before reaching the receiving point;
(b) the entire consignment shall be unloaded at the in-house quarantine facility;
(c) the personnel involved in unloading shall disinfect their hands, apron, coat and shoes before and after
unloading; and
(d) The quarantine tanks shall have 1 MT to 5 MT capacity based on the targeted marine finfish for movement
of sub adult or adult broodstock fishes and shall be maintained under optimal water quality parameters as
specified in the para 4 of the Guidelines for regulating Coastal aquaculture.
(ii) The following procedure shall be adopted for screening of pathogens, namely:-
(a) during quarantine period gills or blood samples can be collected from randomly selected fishes for
screening of relevant pathogens by using appropriate technique in accordance with World Organisation
for Animal Health protocol;
(b) the sample shall be referred to Aquatic Quarantine Facility laboratory at Neelankarai or Central Institute
of Brackishwater Aquaculture laboratory or any other accredited laboratory for testing of relevant
pathogens of marine or brackishwater finfish for World Organisation for Animal Health listed pathogens
and other pathogens of concern to India;
(c) based on the test report of the sample, the quarantined fish shall be shifted to broodstock holding tanks
after the quarantine period if no pathogen is detected;
(d) in the event of detection of any relevant pathogen, the sample shall be sent to Central Institute of
Brackishwater Aquaculture as referral lab for validation or confirmation; and
(e) in case of confirmation, the unit operator shall destroy the entire infected stock and incinerate for
containment of the spread of the infection under intimation to the Authority.
8. Maintenance of mature brood fishes.- (1) Broodstock fishes shall be shifted from the quarantine facility to
maturation or broodstock holding tanks fitted with flow through Recirculatory Aquaculture System.
(2) Functional brood stock feeds shall be used to enhance the gonadal maturity.
(3) While using feed prepared with fresh meat of squid, crab, fish and shrimp, care shall be taken to prevent the
entry of diseases causing pathogens and parasites into the broodstock holding facility. The feed used shall be
stored in frozen condition at not less than -20°C.
9. Live feed culture.- (1) Live feeds like microalgae, rotifers and copepods of good quality and pathogen free shall
be used for larval rearing.
(2) Algal, rotifer and copepod culture sections shall be isolated from each other.
(3) Live feeds shall be screened regularly to ensure the supply of pathogen free live feeds.
10. Probiotics and chemical agents.- (1) The hatcheries shall use Coastal Aquaculture Authority certified inputs in
the seed production cycle.
(2) Prohibited Pharmacologically active substances and antimicrobial agents as specified in clause (c) of sub-rule
(1) of rule 18 of the said rules shall not be used in the seed production system.
11. Seed production and sale of marine finfishes.- The hatchlings or hatchery seeds shall be sold only to the
hatcheries permitted by the Authority to rear the pathogen free seed following the biosecurity protocols as
prescribed in para 2 of these guidelines.
12. Seed packing and transport.- (1) Dedicated seed packing area is required in the hatchery.
(2) Fish seed shall be transported in bags or containers with adequate oxygen supply based on the size, stocking
density and duration of the transport.
(3) Fish seed may be acclimatised in the hatchery itself for salinity as per the requirement of the farmer based on
the salinity levels in the farm;
13. Disease reporting and record maintenance.- (1) Any disease outbreak in the hatchery shall be reported
immediately to the Authority.
(2) The hatchery operator shall maintain day to day records of hatchery operations and this record shall contain
all the activities including broodstock details, spawning details, larval survival, feeding time, live feed or inert
feeds used, chemical usage, pathogen test results, water quality reports, record of animal stock, sale of seed data
including farmer's details etc.
(3) The hatchery operator shall submit a quarterly compliance report to the Authority in Form I-1 of these
guidelines.
14. Inspection.- A person authorised by the Authority shall periodically visit and check the status of the broodstock,
seed production and sale.
15. Bank guarantee.- The approved hatcheries shall pay rupees fifty thousand towards monitoring fee and deposit
a bank guarantee for two lakh rupees in favour of the Coastal Aquaculture Authority in accordance with the said
rules, to ensure compliance with these guidelines and in the event of any violation, the bank guarantee shall be
invoked.
PART II
Norms and Regulations for Approval and Operation of Farms
1. Eligibility criteria for farms.- (1) Aquaculture farmers shall submit an application Form I of the said rules
to the Sub Divisional Level Committee or District Level Committee concerned duly enclosing therewith required
documents as specified in the Schedule II of the said rules and payment of registration fee as specified in the
Schedule I of the said rules for registration of farms of marine finfish in accordance with the procedure laid down
in rule 9 of the said rules.
(2) The inspection team authorised by the Authority shall inspect the farm as per the procedure laid down in rule
10 of the said rules and based on its recommendation regarding the suitability of the facility for farming of marine
finfish, applications shall be processed by the Secretary of the Authority, for consideration of the Authority for
registering the farms for farming of marine finfish.
(3) Farms shall establish biosecurity measures such as fencing, reservoir ponds for water treatment, bird-scare,
separate implements for each of the ponds etc., and be managed by personnel who are trained or experienced in
management of biosecurity measures.
2. Farming site requirements.- (1) Pond based finfish farming needs adequate water depth of 1.5 - 2.0 meters.
(2) The source water shall have a salinity range of 10-30 ppt depending on the species cultured.
3. Water discharge protocols.- (1) In case of any outbreak of disease, distress harvesting shall only be done through
netting and the water shall be chlorinated and dechlorinated before release into drainage system.
(2) Wastewater shall be retained in the Effluent Treatment System for a minimum period of two days.
(3) Farms which follow Zero Water Exchange system of farming shall also take care of the discharge water
treatment if drain harvest is followed.
4. Biosecurity considerations.- (1) Farms approved for marine finfish culture shall not be permitted for
simultaneous farming of shellfish and finfish species in the same farm.
(2) For shifting culture from one species to another, adequate dry out period shall be maintained during pond
preparation in accordance with the norms issued by the Authority for this purpose from time to time.
THE GAZETTE OF INDIA : EXTRAORDINARY
[PART II-SEC. 3(ii)]
5. Norms for culture of marine finfish.- The following norms shall be adopted for culture of marine finfish,
namely:-
(1) Species selection: Farming requires a fish variety with the basic characters like, suitability for marketing,
market demand, consumer acceptance, easy to culture, adaptability to the varying salinity, acceptance to
artificial diets, faster growth rate and resistant to common diseases.
(2) Seed selection and stocking: (i) tested and certified fry or fingerling shall be procured only from Coastal
Aquaculture Authority approved or registered hatcheries. Test reports from authorised government lab
shall be considered;
(ii) fish seed size of 4-8 inches shall be preferred and stocked at appropriate stocking density not exceeding
5000 nos. per ha based on the species, size of the pond and culture period;
(iii) stocking densities shall not exceed one or two number for conventional earthen pond systems with a
maximum production density of 10 MT/Ha. For open water cage farms a production of 20 kg/cubic meter
is the recommended harvest density; and
(iv) strict compliance for the wastewater standards is a mandatory requirement and the Inspection team
authorised by the Coastal Aquaculture Authority in each case shall monitor the quality of waste water or
pond drain water as per the standards prescribed in the para 10 of the Guidelines for regulating Coastal
Aquaculture.
(3) Acclimatization and stocking of fish fingerlings: (i) fish seed brought from the approved hatchery have
to be acclimatized in tanks or pens or nursery cages for a shorter period to observe their health condition.
If abnormal behaviour or infection symptoms are noticed, such seeds have to be isolated and reared
separately;
(ii) to avoid spread of diseases, fish fingerlings infected with pathogens shall be given proper treatment.;
(iii) approved disinfectants or antibiotics shall be used for treating the diseases in consultation with the
fisheries officials or Indian Council of Agricultural Research scientists;
(iv) as the culture period progresses, the standing fish biomass in the pond also shall increase and therefore,
water quality parameters such as dissolved oxygen, pH, ammonia and nitrite shall be maintained as
specified in the para 4 of the Guidelines for regulating coastal aquaculture have to be monitored regularly;
(v) Paddle wheel aerators may be used to enhance the Dissolved Oxygen level in the pond and water
exchange can be provided if required periodically.
(4) Feed Management: (i) optimal use of feed helps to improve the farming environment and ensure healthy
fish stock;
(ii) use of extruded formulated pellet feed instead of low value fish shall be used to reduce organic matters
in water;
(iii) feed quantity has to be reduced when the fishes are under stress or during rough weather or during
low water temperature;
(iv) the nutritional requirements vary with different fish species, sizes, growth stages and feeding habits
and accordingly appropriate quantity of formulated feeds shall be used; and
(v) avoid use of live tilapia fish, trash fish or low valued fish, dry fish and other wild resources which
may be one of the reasons for transmission of parasites and pathogens.
(5) Use of fertilisers and other aquaculture inputs: (i) to increase the primary production and to maintain
the optimum pH and other water quality parameters, the biodegradable organic plant extracts shall be used;
(ii) Coastal Aquaculture Authority approved feed supplements or inputs or additives shall be used as
recommended by the fisheries officials or Scientists or technical staff; and
(iii) prohibited pharmacologically active substances and antimicrobial agents as specified in clause (c) of
sub-rule (1) of rule 18 of the said rules shall not be used.
(6) Prevention and treatment of fish diseases: (i) regular observation of fish is required to identify altered
behaviour, diseases causes and appropriate treatments;
(ii) pathogens like bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites are existing in the natural environment and healthy
fish have adequate resistance against them;
(iii) to prevent and control fish diseases, maintaining a good farming environment and use of hygienic and
nutritious fish feed to boost resistance of the fish may minimise the chance of disease outbreak; and
(iv) in case of any disease outbreak, health management practices as specified in para 7 of the Guidelines
for regulating coastal aquaculture shall be followed.
(7) Harvesting: (i) harvesting of fish by drag netting or cast netting is preferable to maintain the quality of
the produce. Icing shall be done immediately after the harvest to prevent the spoilage;
(ii) in case of harvest for live fish marketing, care should be taken to transport live fish with proper aeration
and water quality arrangements.
6. Maintenance of farm management records.- (1) Finfish farmers shall maintain records of procurement of seed,
stocking density, water quality parameters, feeding quantities, health management, growth parameters, inputs
used, harvesting and marketing details etc.
(2) The farmer shall produce the farm records on demand by the authorised personnel or officials.
7. Penalty for violation shall be in accordance with the said Act and rules made thereunder.
Form I-1
[See Part-I, paragraph 13 (3)]
Format for quarterly compliance report from Hatcheries
The report shall contain the following information, namely:-
1. Name and Address of the hatchery
2. Date and number of certificate of registration and permission to import
3. Number of broodstock procured/imported, males and females
4. Transport mortality
5. Quarantine mortality
6. Total number of spawning's
7. Total number of eggs produced
8. Total number of fry produced
9. Total number of fingerlings produced
10. Report on general aquatic health monitoring and any unusual mortality
11. Total number of fry or fingerlings sold to the farmers
12. Details of the farmers to whom sold (shall include information on the name, address, registration number) and
copy of the registration certificate for culturing marine finfish issued by Coastal Aquaculture Authority.
[F. No. j-1903336/2/2024-DOF (E-23648)]
NEETU KUMARI PRASAD, Jt.Secy.
Uploaded by Dte. of Printing at Government of India Press, Ring Road, Mayapuri, New Delhi-110064
and Published by the Controller of Publications, Delhi-110054.
Digitally signed by GORAKHA NATH
GORAKHA NATH YADAVA YADAVA
Date: 2025.07.02 14:11:35+05'30'