Dr. R. SANTHAKUMARK. SATHISHKUMAR, B.F.Sc.Dr. N.V. SUJATHKUMARDr. J.D. JAMESON2020-10-052020-10-052008https://krishikosh.egranth.ac.in/handle/1/5810152420Ornamental fish farming is one of the important technology which play an important role in the economic development of the nation. The hobby of keeping ornamental fishes can be sealed up as source of self-employment by taking various types of ancillary activities. Likewise, it can also be used as a source of income generation especially for trained unemployed youths by maintaining aquarium at hotels, airports, parks and similar public places. Compared to other organisms of aquaculture, value of the ornamental fishes are unique by their excellence in beauty and delightful movements. The present study was carried out to find out adoption of ornamental fish culture technology among fish farmers in Madurai and Dindigul districts. The blocks namely, Tirumangalam, Madurai East and Chellampatti from Madurai district and Nilakottai, Dindigul and Attur from Dindigul district were selected based on majority of the farmers involved in ornamental fish farming and ornamental fish marketing. One hundred and twenty farmers were selected randomly from the selected villages and the data were collected through interview schedule and analysed with statistical tools. Most of the respondents were middle age group (52.50%), educated up to middle level (43.34%) and married (78.33%). Majority of the farmers (84.17%) had nuclear family and family size upto 5 members. A total of 56.66 per cent of the farmers had ornamental fish farming as primary occupation. Most of the farmers (52.50%) had upto 5 years of farming experience. Majority of the farmers (87.50%) had own land and had medium level of income (54.16%). Most of the members (62.22%) could read newspaper, listen to radio and view TV regularly. Majority of the farmers (70.84%) had medium level of material possession. Most of the farmers (42.50%) farmers had monthly contact with Marine Products Export Development Authority and occasionally contact with MPEDA, fishermen co-operative society, Panchayat Union and Self Help Groups (36.67%). Around one-third farmers (37.50%) occasionally contacted extension agency. Half of the respondents had (50.83%) undergone training on ornamental fish culture. Most of the respondents (54.16%) had medium level of scientific orientation, medium level of risk orientation (55.83%) and mass media exposure (49.17%). Vast majority of respondents (85.83%) marketed fishes in local market. More than half of the respondents (52.50%) possessed medium level of knowledge. Most of the respondents (78.92%) adopted the ornamental fish culture practices while 21.08 per cent of them did not adopt.EnglishThesis