Cyrrihinus mrigala1

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State of world
Cirrhinus mrigala (Hamilton, 1822)
aquaculture
Main cultured
species
Ornamental fish I. Identity V. Status And Trends
Introduction of species a. Biological Features VI. Main Issues
Genetic aquaculture
b. Images Gallery a. Responsible Aquaculture Practices
resources II. Profile VII. References
a. Historical Background a. Related Links
Other aquaculture b. Main Producer Countries
resources
c. Habitat And Biology
III. Production
a. Production Cycle
b. Production Systems
c. Diseases And Control Measures
IV. Statistics
a. Production Statistics
b. Market And Trade

Identity

Cirrhinus mrigala Hamilton, 1822 [Cyprinidae]
FAO Names: En - Mrigal carp, Fr - , Es -

Biological features
Body bilaterally symmetrical and streamlined, its depth about equal to length of head; body w ith
cycloid scales, head w ithout scales; snout blunt, often w ith pores; mouth broad, transverse;
upper lip entire and not continuous w ith low er lip, low er lip most indistinct; single pair of short
rostral barbels; pharyngeal teeth in three row s, 5.4.2/2.4.5 pattern; low er jaw w ith a small post-
symphysial knob or tubercle; origin of dorsal fin nearer to end of snout than base of caudal;
dorsal fin as high as body w ith 12 or 13 branched rays; last unbranched ray of dorsal fin non-
osseous and non-serrated; pectoral fins shorter than head; caudal fin deeply forked; anal fin not
extending to caudal fin; lateral line w ith 40-45 scales; lateral transverse scale row s 6-7/5½-6
betw een lateral line and pelvic fin base; usually dark grey above, silvery beneath; dorsal fin
greyish; pectoral, pelvic and anal fins orange-tipped (especially during breeding season).

Images gallery

Cirrhinus mrigala

Profile
Historical background
Mrigal (Cirrhinus mrigala), a carp endemic to Indo-Gangetic riverine systems, is one of the three
Indian major carp species cultivated w idely in Southeast Asian countries. This species has long
been important in polyculture w ith other native species, mainly in India. How ever, records of its
culture are available only from the early part of the 20 th century. The traditional culture of the
species w as restricted to eastern parts of India until the 1950s. The technology of artificial
propagation, w hich assured seed supply in the 1960s, led to the foundation of scientific carp
culture. The initially higher grow th rate of mrigal, coupled w ith its compatibility w ith other carps,
has helped in establishing this species as one of the principal component species in pond culture.
The species w as transplanted in the peninsular riverine systems of India, w here it has
established itself. Subsequently it has spread over w hole of India. In addition, mrigal has become
an important component in the fish culture systems of Bangladesh, Pakistan, Myanmar, the Lao
People's Democratic Republic, Thailand and Nepal. Mrigal has also been introduced into Sri Lanka,

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Vietnam, China, Mauritius, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines and the former USSR.

Main producer countries

Main producer countries of Cirrhinus mrigala (FAO Fishery Statistics, 2006)
* the Lao People's Democratic Republic

Habitat and biology
Hatchlings of mrigal normally remain in the surface or sub-surface w aters, w hile fry and fingerling
tend to move to deeper w ater. Adults are bottom dw ellers.It is an illiophage in its feeding habit
and stenophagous; detritus and decayed vegetation form its principal food components, w hile
phytoplankton and zooplankton comprise the rest.

Mrigal is eurythermal, appearing to tolerate a minimum temperature of 14 ºC. In culture, the
species normally attains 600-700 g in the first year, depending on stocking density and
management practices. Among the three Indian major carps, mrigal normally grow s more slow ly
than catla and rohu. The rearing period is usually confined to a maximum of tw o years, as grow th
rate reduces thereafter. How ever, mrigal is reported to survive as long as 12 years in natural
w aters.

Maturity is attained in tw o years in captivity. As mrigal needs a fluviatile environment for breeding
it does not breed in ponds. How ever, captive breeding in hatcheries has been made possible
through induced breeding by hypophysation and the use of synthetic hormones.

Mrigal is a highly fecund fish. Fecundity increases w ith age, and normally ranges from 100 000-
150 000 eggs/kg BW. The spaw ning season depends upon the onset and duration of the south-
w est monsoon, w hich in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan extends from May to September. Mrigal
usually breeds at 24-31 ºC.

Production
Production cycle


Production cycle of Cirrhinus mrigala

Production systems
Mrigal is cultured mainly as a component of carp polyculture systems in the ponds of India and
Bangladesh, the major producing countries. The Lao People's Democratic Republics, Thailand,
Vietnam, Pakistan, Myanmar and Nepal also use mrigal as one of the principal components in carp
polyculture systems. Mrigal is normally cultured along w ith the other tw o Indian major carps -
catla (Catla catla) and rohu (Labeo rohita). It is also cultured in composite carp culture systems
that include the three Indian major carps as w ell as tw o Chinese carps - silver carp
(Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) and grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) - and common carp
(Cyprinus carpio). Being a bottom feeder, mrigal is usually stocked at 20-30 percent of the total
species stocked in three-species culture, w hile in six-species culture mrigal constitutes only about
15-20 percent. In India, carp is cultured in about 900 000-1 000 000 ha of ponds and 'tanks'
(w ater bodies that are usually larger than a pond but less than 10 ha) that are privately or
community ow ned. In Bangladesh, how ever, carp farming is carried out mostly in small traditional
ponds, of w hich only about 16 percent are semi-intensive.
Seed supply
Mass scale seed production of mrigal in hatcheries through induced breeding now supplies
almost the entire seed requirement in all the producing countries, although riverine collection still
forms the source of seed in certain small areas. As mrigal does not breed in confined w aters,
injections of pituitary extract and other synthetic commercial formulations of purified salmon
gonadotropin and dopamine antagonists such as Ovaprim, Ovatide and Wova-FH have also been
successfully used in recent years. W hen pituitary extract is used, females are injected w ith a
stimulating dose of 2-3 mg/kg BW follow ed by a second dose of 5 to 8 mg/kg after a lapse of 6
hours; males are given a single dose of 2-3 mg/kg at the time of second injection of the female.
W hen synthetic formulations are used, a single dose of 0.4-0.5 ml/kg BW (females) or 0.2-0.3
ml/kg (males) is administered. The spaw n recovery of mrigal usually ranges from 100 000 to
150 000/kg. The Chinese circular hatchery is the most common system used. In this system,
broodstock are kept at 3-5 kg /m3 , w ith a 1:1 female:male stocking ratio by w eight (1:2 by
number). Fertilized eggs are obtained after 6-8 hours and are transferred to the hatching tank,
optimally stocked at 700 000-800 000/m3 . Water circulation is continuous and the eggs are
retained until 72 hours, during w hich the embryos develop into hatchlings of about 6 mm.

Rearing fingerlings
Nursery phase

Three-day old hatchlings are reared in a nursery system for a period of 15-20 days till they
become fry of 20-25 mm. Small earthen ponds of 0.02-0.1 ha are normally employed, though
brick-lined or cement tanks are used in certain areas. The stocking density usually ranges from 3-
10 million/ha in earthen ponds and 10-20 million/ha in brick or cement tanks. Though monoculture
is advocated for nursery rearing, farmers often raise mrigal along w ith the other tw o Indian
major carps. In these cases, the grow th and survival of mrigal is higher than the other tw o. The
other management measures include organic manuring and fertilization, and the provision of a
mixture of rice bran and oil cake (1:1 w /w ) as a supplementary feed. Survival normally ranges
from 30-50 percent. Good pre-stocking nursery pond preparation includes control over predatory
and w eed fish, and insects. Farmers often neglect such procedures, resulting in low fry
production. Another limiting factor is the non-availability of commercial feed, w hich forces farmers
to resort to the conventional bran-oilcake mixture.
Fingerling production

The fry from the nursery system are further raised to fingerling size (80-100 mm; 5-10 g).
Earthen ponds ranging from 0.05 to 0.2 ha are commonly used. Although monoculture is
advocated in the nursery phase, in fingerling rearing mrigal are stocked at about 30 percent and
cultured along w ith other carp species at a combined density of about 200 000-300 000/ha.
Feeding and fertilization regimes are similar to the nursery phase but vary according to the
intensity of culture and the natural productivity. Overall survival in the fingerling rearing stage
ranges from 60 to 70 percent; generally, mrigal has a higher survival level than catla and rohu.


Fish are reared in this phase for 2-3 months, after w hich they are transferred to grow -out
production systems.
Ongrowing techniques
The grow -out culture of mrigal in polyculture systems is confined to earthen ponds and normal
management practice includes predatory and w eed fish control w ith chemicals or plant
derivatives; stocking of fingerlings at a combined density of 4 000-10 000 fingerlings/ha;
fertilization w ith organic manures like cattle dung or poultry droppings and inorganic fertilizers;
supplementary feeding w ith a mixture of rice bran/w heat bran and oil cake; and fish health
monitoring and environmental management. The grow -out period is usually one year, during
w hich mrigal grow s to about 600-700 g. Production is normally 3-5 tonnes/ha/yr, w ith mrigal
contributing about 20-25 percent.

The lack of fingerlings of suitable size in adequate quantities is the most important limiting factor,
compelling farmers to stock ponds w ith fry instead of fingerlings. High prices for commercial feeds
and feed ingredients often restrain farmers from feeding at the proper level, thus limiting
production.

Mrigal also forms one of the important components in the sew age-fed carp culture system
practiced in an area totalling over 4000 ha in West Bengal, India. In this form of culture, w hich
includes multiple stocking and multiple harvesting of fish larger than 300 g, primary treated
sew age is provided to the fish ponds as the main input. Even w ithout the provision of
supplementary feed, this system produces 2-3 tonnes/ha/yr. W ith supplementary feeding, this
can be increased to 4-5 tonnes/ha/yr.
Harvesting techniques
The bottom dw elling habit of mrigal hinders its effective harvesting by dragnet, the most common
gear used in carp culture. Complete harvesting is possible only through draining. These
harvesting difficulties make mrigal the least preferred species among the three Indian major
carps for farmers. Cast nets are often used for partial harvesting in small and backyard ponds.
Handling and processing
The species is mostly marketed fresh in local markets. How ever, long distance transport of mrigal
w ith other carps packed w ith crushed ice at 1:1 ratio in rectangular plastic crates (60 cm x 40 cm
x 23 cm) in insulated vans is often practiced in India. Post-harvest processing and value-addition
is almost non-existent at present in any of the producing countries. During recent years a small
quantity of Indian major carps is being exported from India to the Middle East, degutted and
frozen.
Production costs
In general, carp are low -valued species fetching market prices of less than USD 1/kg at the
producers' level; therefore, the use of major inputs such as seed, fertilizers and supplementary
feed, besides labour costs, is kept to a minimum. Supplementary feed constitutes over 50
percent of the total input cost in carp polyculture; therefore, judicious feed management is of
prime importance for enhancing profits. In extensive systems, w ith a targeted production level of
2-3 tonnes/ha, the cost of production is about USD 0.30/kg, w hile the costs increase to USD 0.5-
0.6/kg in semi-intensive culture, w here the targeted production is 4-8 tonnes/ha.

Diseases and control measures
In some cases antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals have been used in treatment but their
inclusion in this table does not imply an FAO recommendation.

DISEASE AGENT TY PE SY NDROME MEASURES
Destroy badly
infected fish;
disinfect affected
ponds w ith 0.5
Aeromonas Ulcerations; ppm solution of
spp.; exophthalmia; KMnO 4 ; add
Ulcer Pseudomonas Bacteria abdominal
spp. distension sulphadiazine (100
mg/kg) or
terramycin (75-80
mg/kg) to feed for
10-12 days
Raised w hite
plaques, often
w ith reddish Dip treatment w ith
Columnaris Flavobacterium Bacterium peripheral zone
columnaris 500 ppm KMnO 4
leading to
haemorrhagic
spots on body
Body scales
stretch out Disinfect affected
resembling pine ponds w ith 1 ppm
cone; KMnO 4 ; dip
Dropsy Aeromonas sp. Bacterium inflammation; treatment of 5 ppm
ulceration; KMnO 4 for 2
exophthalmia;
abdominal minutes
distension
3-4% NaCl bath;
160 mg/litre KMnO 4
Mould grow s like
cotton w ool on bath for 5 days; 1-
body, 2 mg/litre
Saprolegniasis Saprolegnia Fungus penetrating into malachite green
parasitica bath for 30
the muscle;
morbid muscle minutes to 1 hour;
rot add formalin at 20
ml/litre to affected
ponds
Fungus grow s
out through gill Addition of quick


out through gill
blood vessels lime (50-100
and causes kg/ha) to affected
necrosis of ponds; in case of
Branchiomyosis Branchiomyces surrounding limited infections,
Fungus use 3-5% NaCl
(gill rot) demigrans tissues; yellow -
brow n bath for 5-10
discolouration minutes, or 5 ppm
& KMnO 4 bath for 5-
disintegration of 10 minutes
gill tissues
Dip in 1:5000
Skin, fin rays formalin solution
& operculum for 1 hour for 7-10
covered w ith days or in 2% NaCl
Ichthyophthiriasis Ichthyophthirius Parasite(protozoan) w hite spores; for 7-10 days;
multifilis sick fish keep affected ponds
rubbing against should be
hard substratum disinfected w ith
quicklime at 200
kg/ha
2-3% NaCl or 4
ppm KMnO 4 batch
Trichodina Invasion of
Trichodiniasis reticulata; T. Parasite(protozoan) parasites in skin for 5-10 minutes;
negre & gill region treat affected
ponds w ith 25 ppm
formalin
Weakness;
emaciation;
Thenohanellus raising of scales Reduce density;
W hite gill spot catlae;Myxobolus along their add yeast to feed
bengalensis; M. Parasites(protozoan) posterior
disease (1 g/kg); 2-3%
catlae; M. margins; scale
hosadurgensis loss; perforation NaCl bath
of scales; loss of
chromatophores
3-5% NaCl dip
treatment for 5-10
Dactylogyrus Gill, fin & minutes; 100 ppm
Dactylogyrosis formalin bath; treat
spp.; Parasites(monogenean skin affected;
and Gyrodactylus trematodes) excessive mucus affected ponds
Gyrodactylosis w ith 25 ppm
spp. secretion
formalin or 4 ppm
KMnO 4
Black nodules
due to
metacercarial Remove resident
Black spot or Diplostomum Parasites (digenean
cysts in the host molluscan
Diplostomiasis pigmentata trematode body; infects eye population
and causes
blindness
Drain and dry
ponds show ing
Parasites visible severe Argulus
to naked eye infection; short
attached to head duration 5 ppm
Argulosis Argulus sp. Parasite (crustacean) & fin rays; KMnO dip;
haemorrhagic 4
spots found in treatment w ith
chronic cases 'Butox' three times
at 35 ml/ha-m at
w eekly intervals
Large red or grey
shallow ulcers
Aeromonas w ith necrotic
Epizootic hydrophila; A. areas on skin; 200 kg/ha
fungus extends quicklime or 0.1
Ulcerative sorbia; Bacteria and fungus deep into the ppm CIFAX (a CIFA,
Syndrome Aphanomyces
invadans musculature; India formulation)
lesions of acute
dermatitis and
ulcers

Suppliers of pathology expertise
The follow ing are examples of locations w here expertise can be accessed:
Central Institute of Freshw ater Aquaculture, India.
Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Mumbai, India.
College of Fisheries, Mangalore, India.

Statistics
Production statistics

Global aquaculture production of Cirrhinus mrigala
(FAO Fishery Statistic)


After fairly rapid expansion up to 1996, total global mrigal production w as relatively steady
betw een 1996-2003, w ith peaks of 552 000 tonnes in 2000 and 445 000 tonnes in 2001. India is
by far the largest producer of mrigal but Bangladesh is also a major producer. The Lao People's
Democratic Republic, Thailand and Myanmar also produce this species. Non-species-specific
production statistics in several other countries has been a major constraint in assessing the
actual farmed production of mrigal but it is know n to be reared in Pakistan and Nepal.

Market and trade
In all the producing countries, almost all farmed mrigal is consumed in the local market.
Governmental regulations and controls over the domestic marketing system are almost non-
existent in these countries and demand and supply thus influence product value. Being the least
preferred among the three Indian major carps, mrigal fetches comparatively low market prices,
usually fetching 10-20 percent less than rohu or catla. How ever, consumer preference makes the
prices obtained for these species alw ays higher than those for common carp and Chinese carps.

Status and trends
Several factors have enhanced the status of the farming of the Indian major carps:
Improvements in induced breeding and seed production, w hich have removed the reliance
on the capture of natural riverine seed.
Improved grow -out technology.
Improvements in feeding and health management.
On the other hand, w hile the inter-generic hybridisation of mrigal, rohu, catla, grass carp and
common carp has been attempted, the hybrids did not show any genetic advantage over the
parent stocks.

Other factors have caused problems. The adoption of intensive farming practices, unregulated
use of inputs and lack of scientific know -how among the farmers has led to increased disease
incidence. How ever, continued thrust on health management leading to development of
therapeutics has helped the sector to overcome from such situations.

India has already draw n up a strategic plan for doubling freshw ater aquaculture production
through increases in productivity and area. Since mrigal forms an important component of the
carp polyculture system, it can be expected that there w ill be a tw o-fold increase in its production
in India by 2015. Bangladesh is also expected to enhance farmed mrigal production. The high
grow th potential of the Indian major carps has attracted the attention of several tropical South-
Eastern Asian and Middle-Eastern countries.

Other factors are expected to influence further grow th in the farming of Indian major carps,
including:
Selective breeding.
Organic fish farming.
Export to South-East Asian and Middle-East countries.
Development of processing and value-added products.
The official production figures often do not represent a true picture, due to the lack of
appropriate and uniform data collection mechanisms. The inadequate production statistical
database has been an important draw back for the formulation of strategic development plans.
The available information from several countries represents the total carp production, rather than
that of individual species. Thus, uniform guidelines for database development w ould, to a great
extent, help in the assessment of actual production and in the development of plans for the
future.

Main issues
Carps are generally cultured in a closed system that involves herbivorous species, in w hich
organic materials are used as the principal input sources, thereby making it a generally
environmentally-friendly practice. Furthermore, the compatibility of mrigal in polyculture systems
w ith regard to habitat preference and feeding habits is good. How ever, the tendency of farmers
to increase income per unit area has led to an excessive use of fertilizers, proteinaceous feeds
and chemicals that may have detrimental effects on the environment. The compatibility of mrigal
in polyculture systems w ith other carps has already been established. How ever, being a bottom
dw eller, the harvesting of this species is a perpetual problem, especially in undrainable ponds.

Responsible aquaculture practices
Being a low input-based system, carp culture has not generally been perceived as a threat to the
environment. How ever, increased emphasis on intensification for enhancing production in recent
years has resulted in increased use of chemical fertilizers, feeds, therapeutics, drugs, chemicals,
etc., w hich pose some concern. It is therefore necessary that the practicing countries should
formulate guidelines and impose strict regulatory measures for the judicious use of these critical
inputs. Application of the principles of Article 9 of the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible
Fisheries w ould be appropriate.

References
Bibliography


Ayyappan, S. & Jena, J.N. 2001. Sustainable freshw ater aquaculture in India. In: T. J. Pandian
(ed.), Sustainable Indian Fisheries, pp. 83-133. National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, New
Delhi, India.
Ayyappan, S. & Jena, J.K. 2003. Grow -out production of carps in India. Journal of Applied
Aquaculture, 13:251-282.
Basavaraju, Y. & Varghese, T.J. 1980. A comparative study of grow th rate of rohu - mrigal and
mrigal - rohu hybrids and their parental species. Mysore Journal of Agricultural Sciences,
14(3):388-395.
Choudhury, S.N. 1995. Shrimp and carp aquaculture and the environment. In: Bangladesh Study
Report. Regional Study and Workshop on Aquaculture Sustainability and the Environment. Manila,
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Gopakumar, K., Ayyappan, S., Jena, J.K., Sahoo, S.K., Sarkar, S.K., Satapathy, B.B. & Nayak, P.K.
1999. National Freshw ater Aquaculture Development Plan.CIFA, Bhubanesw ar, India, 75 pp.
Gupta, S.D., Rath, S.C., Dasgupta, S.D. & Tripathi, S.D. 1995. A first report on quadruple spaw ning
of Catla catla (Ham.). Veterinarski Arhiv, 65(5):143-148.
Hayat, M. 1995. Shrimp and carp aquaculture and the environment. Pakistan Study Report. In:
Regional Study and Workshop on Aquaculture Sustainability and the Environment. Manila, Asian
Development Bank & Bangkok, Netw ork of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific. [Draft report]
Jayaram, K.C. 1981. The Freshw ater Fishes of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Burma and Sri Lanka.
Handbook of Zoological Survey of India, Volume 2. Calcutta, India. 475 pp.
Jena, J.K., Aravindakshan, P.K., Chandra, S., Muduli, H.K. & Ayyappan, S. 1998a. Comparative
evaluation of grow th and survival of Indian major carps and exotic carps in raising fingerlings.
Journal of Aquaculture in the Tropics, 13:143-150.
Jena, J.K., Aravindakshan, P.K. & Singh, W.J. 1998b. Nursery rearing of Indian major carp fry under
different stocking densities. Indian Journal of Fisheries, 45(2): 163-168.
Jhingran, V.G. 1968. Synopsis of Biological Data on Rohu, Cirrhinus mrigala (Hamilton, 1822). FAO
Fisheries Synopsis No. 32, FAO, Rome, Italy.
Jhingran, V.G. 1991. Fish and Fisheries of India. Hindustan Publishing Corporation (India), Delhi,
India. 727 pp.
Khoke, U.C. 1995. Shrimp and carp aquaculture and the environment. Myanmar Study Report. In:
Regional Study and Workshop on Aquaculture sustainability and the Environment. Manila, Asian
Pathak, S.C. & Palanisamy, K. 1995. Shrimp and carp aquaculture and the environment. India
Study Report. In: Regional Study and Workshop on Aquaculture sustainability and the
Environment. Manila, Asian Development Bank & Bangkok, Netw ork of Aquaculture Centres in
Asia-Pacific. [Draft report]
Singh, D.M. 1995. Shrimp and carp aquaculture and the environment. Nepal Study Report. In:
Regional Study and Workshop on Aquaculture sustainability and the Environment. Manila, Asian
Somalingam, J., Maheshw ari, U.K. & Langer, R.K. 1990. Mass production of intergeneric hybrid
catla (Catla catla x Labeo rohita) and its grow th in ponds, small and large reservoirs of Madhya
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