Every fish farmer in India owes a debt to one July morning in 1957. Before that day, carp seed came only from rivers — collected by hand, in uncertain quantities, at the mercy of the monsoon. Then, at Angul in Odisha, two scientists injected a pituitary extract into a carp and changed Indian aquaculture forever. Today India produces close to 198 lakh tonnes of fish a year, and almost all of it starts in a hatchery — with induced breeding.
This set gives you 20 multiple-choice questions on fish breeding and seed production — hypophysation, hormones, hatcheries, broodstock, seed stages and the conservation breeding of endangered species like the golden mahseer — followed by an answer key with a short explanation for every question. Try the questions first without looking at the key, then read the explanations: each one states the fact the examiner is actually testing.
Note on the banner image: it is an illustration of a carp hatchery, not a photograph of any person, institution or event mentioned in the questions.
Revision table: the breeding facts you must know
| First induced breeding of Indian major carps | 10 July 1957, Angul (CIFRI Cuttack substation), Odisha | Dr Hiralal Chaudhuri and Dr K. H. Alikunhi; first fish induced to breed was Cirrhinus reba, followed by catla, rohu and mrigal |
| National Fish Farmers Day | 10 July every year | Celebrated to mark the 1957 breakthrough; Chaudhuri is called the father of induced breeding in India |
| Hypophysation | Injection of pituitary gland extract | First developed in Brazil in 1934; the technique that made India self-sufficient in fish seed |
| Chinese carps in India | Silver carp and grass carp induced bred in 1962 | Three years after their introduction to India in 1959 |
| Ovaprim | Salmon GnRH analogue (20 µg/ml) + domperidone (10 mg/ml) | Manufacturer’s recommended dose 0.5 ml/kg body weight; females typically 0.3–0.5 ml/kg, males about half that |
| Spawning conditions (Cuttack studies) | Water 24–36°C; cool rainy days around 27°C most favourable | Indian major carps spawn in clear or turbid water within this range |
| Breeding sex ratio | 2 males : 1 female | Standard set for induced breeding of carps |
| Seed stages | Spawn → fry → fingerling | Spawn is the newly hatched yolk-sac stage (about 3 days); a fingerling is generally about 100 mm long |
| Carp eggs | Indian major carp eggs are non-adhesive and semi-buoyant | Common carp eggs, by contrast, are adhesive and stick to vegetation |
| Golden mahseer | Tor putitora, listed as Endangered by the IUCN | ICAR-DCFR, Bhimtal holds a patent for year-round repeated breeding; Himachal’s Machhyal farm raised 87,000 fingerlings in 2024–25 |
| Seed supply scale | NFDB distributed 25.96 crore breeder seed in FY 2023-24 | 99% spawn and 1% fry and fingerling, per the Department of Fisheries Annual Report 2023-24 |
The 20 questions
Q1. Who achieved the first successful induced breeding of Indian major carps in India?
(a) K. H. Alikunhi alone (b) Hiralal Chaudhuri and K. H. Alikunhi (c) K. K. Sukumaran and S. B. Singh (d) M. S. Akhtar and Debajit Sarma
Q2. In which year was induced breeding of Indian major carps first achieved?
(a) 1934 (b) 1947 (c) 1957 (d) 1962
Q3. Which was the first fish species to be successfully induced bred in India?
(a) Catla catla (b) Labeo rohita (c) Cirrhinus reba (d) Cyprinus carpio
Q4. National Fish Farmers Day is celebrated every year on:
(a) 10 July (b) 21 November (c) 10 September (d) 5 June
Q5. Hypophysation — the classic induced-breeding technique — means:
(a) Injecting pituitary gland extract into brood fish (b) Stripping eggs and milt by hand (c) Keeping brood fish in running water (d) Feeding brood fish a high-protein diet
Q6. The hypophysation technique was first developed in which country?
(a) India (b) China (c) Brazil (d) Japan
Q7. Silver carp and grass carp were first induced bred in India in which year?
(a) 1957 (b) 1959 (c) 1962 (d) 1972
Q8. Ovaprim, the synthetic hormone widely used for induced breeding of carps, contains:
(a) Pituitary extract + saline (b) Salmon GnRH analogue + domperidone (c) Human chorionic gonadotropin + vitamin E (d) Testosterone + oestrogen
Q9. What is the manufacturer’s recommended dose of Ovaprim for induced breeding?
(a) 0.05 ml/kg body weight (b) 0.5 ml/kg body weight (c) 5 ml/kg body weight (d) 50 ml/kg body weight
Q10. What male-to-female ratio is generally used in a breeding set for induced breeding of carps?
(a) 1 male : 1 female (b) 1 male : 2 females (c) 2 males : 1 female (d) 3 males : 1 female
Q11. According to the classic Cuttack studies, Indian major carps spawn in water temperatures of:
(a) 10–16°C (b) 18–22°C (c) 24–36°C (d) 38–42°C
Q12. Which Indian major carp is the most fecund (produces the most eggs per kg of body weight)?
(a) Mrigal (b) Rohu (c) Catla (d) Calbasu
Q13. The eggs of Indian major carps are:
(a) Adhesive and demersal (b) Non-adhesive and semi-buoyant (c) Large and yolky, like trout eggs (d) Laid in nests guarded by the male
Q14. Which of these carps breeds naturally in a confined pond without hormone injection?
(a) Catla (b) Rohu (c) Mrigal (d) Common carp
Q15. A hapa is used in fish breeding as:
(a) A circular concrete spawning pool (b) A fine-mesh cloth enclosure suspended in a pond for breeding (c) A hormone injection syringe (d) A larval rearing tank with aeration
Q16. The key feature of an eco-hatchery (Chinese hatchery) is its:
(a) Rectangular nursery pond (b) Circular spawning pool with a continuous water current (c) Glass incubation jars (d) Solar-powered aerator
Q17. A young fish is generally called a fingerling when it reaches about:
(a) 10 mm (b) 25 mm (c) 100 mm (d) 250 mm
Q18. The golden mahseer, the focus of ICAR-DCFR’s captive-breeding work, is scientifically known as:
(a) Tor putitora, listed as Endangered by the IUCN (b) Tor khudree, listed as Least Concern (c) Neolissochilus hexagonolepis, listed as Vulnerable (d) Labeo dyocheilus, listed as Near Threatened
Q19. Which institute holds the patent for a system of year-round repeated breeding of golden mahseer?
(a) ICAR-CIFA, Bhubaneswar (b) ICAR-CIFRI, Barrackpore (c) ICAR-DCFR, Bhimtal (d) ICAR-NBFGR, Lucknow
Q20. Magur (Clarias batrachus), an important cultured catfish in India, belongs to which group?
(a) Air-breathing catfishes (b) Coldwater trouts (c) Marine perches (d) Brackishwater mullets
Answer key with explanations
| 1 — (b) Chaudhuri and Alikunhi | Dr Hiralal Chaudhuri and Dr K. H. Alikunhi achieved the first induced breeding at the CIFRI substation, Angul, Odisha. Chaudhuri is remembered as the father of induced breeding in India. |
| 2 — (c) 1957 | The breakthrough came on 10 July 1957, reported in Current Science later that year. 1934 is when hypophysation was first developed (in Brazil); 1962 is the Chinese-carp milestone. |
| 3 — (c) Cirrhinus reba | The first success was with the minor carp Cirrhinus reba; catla, rohu and mrigal followed in the same programme. |
| 4 — (a) 10 July | National Fish Farmers Day is observed every 10 July to commemorate the 1957 success and honour fish farmers and breeders. |
| 5 — (a) Pituitary gland extract injection | Hypophysation is the injection of a pituitary-gland extract — homoplastic (same species) or heteroplastic (another species) — to trigger spawning in fish that will not breed in captivity. |
| 6 — (c) Brazil | The hypophysation technique was first developed in Brazil in 1934, and was taken up in India from the late 1930s onwards. |
| 7 — (c) 1962 | Silver carp and grass carp were introduced to India in 1959 and first induced bred here in 1962 (Alikunhi and co-workers). |
| 8 — (b) Salmon GnRH analogue + domperidone | Ovaprim contains a salmon gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogue (20 µg/ml) and domperidone, a dopamine antagonist (10 mg/ml). The GnRH triggers gonadotropin release; domperidone removes dopamine’s block on it. |
| 9 — (b) 0.5 ml/kg | The manufacturer’s recommended dose is 0.5 ml/kg body weight; in practice females are given about 0.3–0.5 ml/kg and males about half the female dose. |
| 10 — (c) 2 males : 1 female | A breeding set for carps is typically one female with two males, ensuring enough milt to fertilise the large egg output of a single female. |
| 11 — (c) 24–36°C | Cuttack studies found IMCs spawn in water of 24–36°C, with cool, rainy days around 27°C the most favourable. |
| 12 — (c) Catla | Catla is the most fecund of the Indian major carps, at roughly 1–2 lakh eggs per kg of body weight. For comparison, Nandeesha and co-workers (1990) recorded mrigal relative fecundity of about 55,000–165,000 eggs/kg. |
| 13 — (b) Non-adhesive and semi-buoyant | Indian major carp eggs are non-adhesive and drift semi-buoyantly in flowing water — which is why hatcheries use circular spawning pools with a current. Common carp eggs are adhesive and stick to plants. |
| 14 — (d) Common carp | Common carp (Cyprinus carpio) breeds naturally in ponds; its adhesive eggs attach to vegetation. Indian major carps need riverine, flowing-water conditions and do not breed in confined pond water — hence induced breeding. |
| 15 — (b) Cloth enclosure in a pond | A hapa is a fine-mesh cloth enclosure suspended in a pond, used for breeding (especially common carp) and for holding spawn and fry. |
| 16 — (b) Circular spawning pool | The eco-hatchery (Chinese hatchery) centres on a circular spawning pool in which a continuous current keeps the semi-buoyant eggs drifting, mimicking river flow, with an incubation pool alongside. |
| 17 — (c) 100 mm | Seed stages run spawn (newly hatched, yolk-sac stage, about 3 days) → fry (up to about 25–40 mm) → fingerling (about 100–150 mm). The 100 mm figure is the standard exam answer. |
| 18 — (a) Tor putitora, Endangered | The golden mahseer is Tor putitora, listed as Endangered by the IUCN, and is the state fish of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. |
| 19 — (c) ICAR-DCFR, Bhimtal | The Directorate of Coldwater Fisheries Research, Bhimtal, holds the patent (No. 432763) for a system for year-round repeated breeding and higher robust fry production of golden mahseer, led by Dr M. S. Akhtar; the technology has been commercialised through ICAR-Agrinnovate. |
| 20 — (a) Air-breathing catfishes | Magur (Clarias batrachus) is an air-breathing catfish, with an accessory respiratory organ that lets it survive in low-oxygen water — the reason it is cultured in shallow, seasonal ponds. |
How to use this set
- Attempt first, check later. Cover the answer key, answer all 20, and only then score yourself. A blind first attempt is what reveals weak topics.
- Learn the date + name pair. Examiners rarely ask a year alone; they ask “who did X in which year”. Revise 1957 with Chaudhuri and Alikunhi, 1934 with Brazil, 1962 with the Chinese carps.
- Master the numbers. 10 July 1957, 24–36°C, 0.5 ml/kg, 2:1, 100 mm — these five figures answer a large share of breeding questions.
- Separate the egg types. If a question mentions adhesive eggs, think common carp; non-adhesive, semi-buoyant eggs mean Indian major carps and riverine spawning.
- Re-attempt after a week. Re-do this set after seven days; anything you still miss goes into a one-page note with the revision table above.
More question banks on Fisheries India
Keep practising with our other sets: Catla vs Rohu vs Mrigal: 20 MCQs fisheries exams love; Fisheries Acts MCQs: 20 questions every aspirant must ace; India’s fisheries institutes: 20 MCQs aspirants must ace; and Shrimp farming in India: 20 MCQs every aspirant must try.
Frequently asked questions
Why don’t Indian major carps breed in ponds?
They are riverine spawners: in nature they breed in flowing water during the monsoon. Confined pond water lacks the current and the environmental cues, so hatcheries use hormone injection (induced breeding) to trigger spawning.
What is the difference between hypophysation and Ovaprim?
Hypophysation uses a pituitary gland extract — the original 1957 method. Ovaprim is a synthetic substitute: a salmon GnRH analogue plus domperidone, given at about 0.5 ml/kg, which is easier to standardise than pituitary extract.
What is National Fish Farmers Day?
10 July every year, marking the first successful induced breeding of Indian major carps by Chaudhuri and Alikunhi on 10 July 1957 at Angul, Odisha.
How does golden mahseer breeding help conservation?
The golden mahseer is endangered, so hatchery-bred fingerlings are released into rivers (river ranching) to rebuild wild stocks. Himachal’s Machhyal farm raised 87,000 fingerlings in 2024–25 and released 34,500 of them.
Where does India’s fish seed come from?
Mostly from hatcheries using induced breeding. The NFDB alone distributed 25.96 crore breeder seed in FY 2023-24, and India produced a record 197.75 lakh tonnes of fish in 2024-25.
Official links and sources
- ICAR-CIFRI — National Fish Farmers’ Day — first induced-breeding success, 10 July 1957, Chaudhuri and Alikunhi; National Fish Farmers Day; induced breeding made India self-sufficient in fish seed
- FAO lecture notes — Seed Production and Hatchery Management (K. K. Sukumaran, CIFRI) — 1957 first success; Chinese carps induced bred 1962; spawning temperatures 24–36°C; broodstock condition
- ICAR — DCFR patent for year-round repeated breeding of golden mahseer — patent led by Dr M. S. Akhtar; commercialised to Das and Kumars Pvt. Ltd. via ICAR-Agrinnovate
- A review on induced breeding in fishes (ResearchGate) — history of hypophysation; Khan’s first attempt; 1957 success; Chinese carps 1962
All facts above were verified on 9 November 2026 against the sources listed. Textbook figures (seed-stage sizes, pond sizes, hatching time) are standard ranges rather than single official values. No deadline or application window applies to an MCQ set, so none is claimed. No drug dosage is given beyond the published Ovaprim label dose. Images in this post are illustrations.