Farming of genetically improved strains of rainbow trout in Ganderbal district - Biological and economic perspective

Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) is a species of freshwater fish belonging to the salmonid family. They are native to North America, particularly the Pacific Coast, and have been introduced to various parts of the world due to their popularity in recreational fishing and aquaculture. A comparative study on the biological and economical improvement of trout farmers in district Ganderbal was carried out by batching the farmers for raising the normal strain (NS) and the genetically improved strain (GIS) of rainbow trout for a period of 240 days (one cycle). The objective of the research was to ascertain the difference between NS and GIS, analyse biological parameters. The GIS farming reported the highest net weight gain (347.7±5.55), average daily weight gain (1.44±0.02), specific growth rate (1.75±0.001), and the lowest conversion ratio (1.22±0.007). The farming of GIS recorded a survival rate of 95.12±0.03, compared to the NS (89.0±0.38). The benefit-cost ratio was highest in GIS (2.26±0.02), compared to the NS (2.15±0.007), which justifies that GIS is a better performer than NS.