The cage fish farming in Hirakud Dam Reservoir (HDR) has been resumed after a gap of two years. District Fisheries Officer Abdul Rashid said the cage fish farming in the HDR is being undertaken on Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode. A Sambalpur-based pisciculturist has been entrusted to carry out the cage fish farming. The pisciculturist has released fingerlings of fast-growing fish variety pangasius into the cages recently, he said. The Fisheries department has entered into an agreement with the private player to carry out fish farming for five years. The private player will deposit `73,920 in the first year and additional 10 per cent in subsequent years, Rashid added. The department had introduced cage fish farming in HDR in 2013 to boost fish production. As per reports, 28 cages with six metres length and four metres width and depth besides floating storage shed have been installed in the reservoir at an estimated cost of around `47 lakh. The cage is enclosed on all sides with mesh netting made from synthetic material that can resist decomposition in water for a long period of time. The department had released around 3,000 pangasius fingerlings into 24 cages in phases with a target to produce 72 tonnes of fish in two years. However, the fish production in HDR was not so encouraging and only 31 tonnes of fish was produced from the 24 cages between 2013 and 2015. Sources said fishes were last harvested from the cages in October 2015. Subsequently, the department stopped cage fish farming in the HDR. The department had expected that the fingerling would grow between 1 kg and 1.5 kg in six months. However, the average weight of the fishes in the cage was found around 750 gram after six months. Rashid said the cage fish farming failed to generate the expected production due to high intensity wind. The cages,which were installed in deep water, floated back to the bank of the reservoir several times due to the wind badly hitting growth of fish. Many fishes managed to escape from the cages, he added.