Health Dept rearing Gambusia fish to check spread of mosquitoes

Manav Mander

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, March 11 

The Health Department has started rearing Gambusia fish to check the spread of mosquitoes and hence diseases such as malaria and dengue.

Larvivorous fish Gambusia (also known as mosquitofish) have been kept at a fish pond in the Civil Surgeon’s office. Nearly 300 fish were transported into the pond yesterday. 

After breeding, the fish would be then be transported to the block-level health centres. Health officials will identify mosquito-prone areas and release this fish into small ponds and stagnant water puddles located in these areas.

The summer season has not arrived so far and one person has already been diagnosed positive with dengue. The Health Department has also taken precautionary step and reared mosquito-eating fish.

Although the pond was developed last year, the department failed to rear the fish last year. 

“The growth of mosquitoes can be effectively tackled using mosquitofish, which primarily feeds on mosquito larvae. Fish has been transported into the pond and after breeding, it will be transported to local and periphery areas, where there is large prevalence of mosquitoes,” said Dr Ramesh, District Epidemiologist.

The fish measures anything between 1.25”and 2” and is capable of consuming larvae nearly 40 times to its weight. Apart from this, the mouth of this fish is comparatively upward than the normal fish, which gives it an upper hand in eating the larvae, which floats on the surface of stagnant water bodies, Dr Ramesh said. 

Cheap, easy to rear

The best thing about this variety of fish is that it can be easily reared and bred in a house and at a relatively affordable cost of Rs 10 per fish and can be kept in an aquarium.

Can eat 100 to 300 mosquito larvae a day!

The Gambusia (Gambusia affinis and Gambusia holbrooki) is also known as the mosquitofish and can be introduced in ponds to eat mosquito larvae. As a consequence, they have been introduced widely outside their native range. They are very important in aquarium trade, desired for small size, ease of breeding and charming gracefulness. A single fully-grown fish eats about 100 to 300 mosquito larvae per day.