Islamabad - An inauguration ceremony of ‘Fisheries and Aquaculture Research Station’ was held here at Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) on Tuesday.
The research station was established with the support of Higher Education Commission (HEC). The main objective of the research station is to upgrade the existing research facilities of the department of animal sciences and equip the fisheries students with new trends and techniques of aquaculture.
The facility is well designed, consisting of open field earthen ponds and concrete tanks, raceways and indoor facility comprising fiber tanks and glass aquaria. Thus students have an opportunity to conduct their research in controlled, semi-controlled and natural conditions.
Dr Amina Zubieri, assistant professor, department of animal sciences QAU, briefed the guests about the project.
She said that specific objective of research is to address the basic issues like fish nutrition, fish welfare, feed formulation, selection of disease resistance and fast growing strain of fisheries sector and transfer the technology to fish farmer.
“Pakistan is blessed with vast water bodies like rivers, streams, canals, drain, lake, dams and water flood areas but in spite of endowment in natural resources, fisheries sector contributes 3.5 per cent in agriculture production and shares only 1 per cent of GDP, while annual per capita fish consumption in Pakistan is far behind (only 2.4 kg) as compared to many countries of the region,” said Dr Amina Zubieri.                     
She urged the need for running fisheries and aquaculture activities on scientific scale. “In Pakistan, fisheries and aquaculture sector is contributing significantly in fish production but as compared to most of other countries, it is not technologically advanced. Moreover our captured fisheries is showing continuous decreasing trend,” she added.
QAU acting Vice Chancellor, Prof Dr Eatzaz Ahmed in his inaugural speech, said that there are many areas in fisheries sector, which need a scientific understanding including low-cost feed formulation and preparation, production of fast growing disease resistance fish, introduction of more species in aquaculture, improvement of post release survivorship of fish and pond management.