Sikkim PSC Assistant Director (Fisheries) Syllabus
PAPER-I: GENERAL ENGLISH
The question will be designed to test the candidate’s understanding and command of the English language. The patterns of questions would be broad as follows:-
(1) Comprehension of a given passage.
(2) Grammar.
(3) Usages and Vocabulary
General Knowledge: Knowledge of current events of local, national, and International importance.
PAPER-II: FISHERIES
1. Advanced Techniques in Brackish and Marine Aquaculture: Latest developments in brackish and marine aquaculture. New candidates species of shellfish and finfish in mariculture. Disease problems in shrimp farming in coastal waters of India and the new techniques developed for diagnosis and treatment. Major finfish in coastal aquaculture and the methods of rearing in the hatchery and in the grow-out phase ( milkfish groupers, mullets ). Technology development for mud crab culture in India. Methods of rearing of echinoderms. Marine ornamental fishes and their culture. Biotechnological advancement in mariculture.
2. Hatchery Designs and Management: Modern concept of the hatchery, Development of hatcheries, Shell-fish and finfish hatcheries: Clod water, Warm water, and combination type hatcheries prevalent in India and other countries. Site selection for hatchery; Planning and layout; Water source, Water quality and water quantity for the successful operation of the hatchery, water supply systems for outdoor and indoor hatchery; Assessment and monitoring of physicochemical parameters of water in the hatchery. Environment and spawning breeding chamber. Requisites of hatching and rearing success. Hatchery implements, Recordkeeping, and Economic analysis.
3. Advances Techniques in Freshwater Prawn Farming: Recent developments in freshwater prawn farming throughout the world and in India. Details anatomical studies on the reproductive systems. Larval development, induced breeding, and hatchery operation techniques. Brood collection, transportation, feeding, and management. Prawn farm construction, habitat development, and modifications. Grow out techniques. Feed and feeding strategies. Methods of polyculture of prawns and fishes. Techniques of harvesting and marketing. Disease diagnosis and treatment. General economics of freshwater prawn farm of moderate scale.
4. Air-Breathing Fishes and their Culture: Introduction, scope and its importance, Morphology, and anatomy of culturable air-breathing fishes, their behavior, and bionomics. Air-breathing organs, structure, and function. Different culture systems. Reclamation of swamps and their management. Preparation and management of ponds, Source of fish seed, its procurement, and stocking. Feed and feeding strategies. Artificial propagation does the determination of inducing agents. Larval rearing, food, and feeding strategies of different age groups. Post-harvest technology, the cost-benefits ratio of air-breathing fish farming.
5. Analytical Aquaculture Techniques: Qualitative and quantitative sampling techniques; Determination of dissolved oxygen, carbon-di-oxide, alkalinities, chlorine, ammonia, nitrogen, nitrate-nitrogen, phosphorus, silica, sulfate. Determination of organic carbon, demand (biochemical), methane, organic & volatile acids, pesticides, and Procedures for the study of nutrient cycling in water bodies. Microbial examination of water, sediments, and fish. Structure and function of corers, dredges, nets, and various samplers. Chromatographer techniques for aquatic organisms. Bioassay method for aquatic organisms. Morphoedaphic indices for productivity. Methods of biomass determination of plankton. Various methods of estimation of production. Calorific estimation of population and estimation of the rate of respiration.
6. Trout and Mahseer Fish Farming Techniques: Bionomics of different species of trout and mahseer, breeding biology of trouts and mahseer; propagation and stock improvement; farming systems; survey and selection of a site for trout and mahseer farming units; planning and layout of culture units; water quality criteria; water supply systems; broodstock management, breading of trouts, incubation, and alevin rearing; ova- house management of rearing and production tanks, size- grading; seed production of golden and khudree mahseer; hatchery operation; conventional and nonconvention artificial diets; feed formulation and preparation, parasites and diseases and their control measures, packing and shipment, marketing, and trade, ranching economic analysis of trout and mahseer farming.
7. Controlled Culture techniques of Fish Food Organisms: Constituents of food organisms of fish in different aquatic environments, Production cycles of fish organisms in water bodies, and role of various physicochemical factors. Nutritional qualities of cultivated food organisms. Recent techniques of microalgal culture yield per unit and economics of culture of periphyton. Culture of zooplankton, cost of production. Cultivation technology of tubificids, chironomids, polychaetes, and amphipods in laboratory and field. Resources and exploitation of Artemia, its role in aquaculture, production in controlled systems. Processing and storage of biomass and cysts. Maintenance of culture systems.Genetic improvement techniques in the cultivated food organisms in fish rearing.
8. Ecological Management of Aquatic Ecosystems: Concept of the ecosystem, abiotic and biotic components, cycling of organic nutrients, recycle pathways, community analysis, species diversity in communities, Concepts of habitat and ecological niche, biological clocks, the evolution of the ecosystems. The energy environment of the fishery ecosystem. Tropic levels, food chain, and food webs. Metabolism and size of individuals, tropic structure in relation to the management of aquatic systems. Gross and net primary production in relation to fish yield. Secondary production of zooplankters, benthos, and fish. Energy flow, factors affecting transformation energy at various trophic levels, conversions efficiencies, and their significance for obtaining maximum sustainable fish yields. Detrital resources and their role in fish production.