The pool at the Aveda Resort now houses thousands of pearl spot fish |
A luxury resort in southern India has turned its swimming pool into a fish farm to stop the business sinking amid the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Normally the 150-metre (500-feet) pool at the Aveda
Resort in Kerala state is packed with European tourists. Now thousands of pearl
spot fish are causing the splash.
The complex was forced to shut in March when a
nationwide coronavirus lockdown was ordered. Few hotels have been allowed to
reopen since.
Of those which are still shuttered, not many boast a
pool with 7.5 million litres of water, which can be put to alternative use.
"We have had zero revenues, so in June, we put
around 16,000 two-month-old pearl spot fish in the pool," Aveda's general
manager Jyotish Surendran told AFP.
The fish, which takes about eight months to reach full
size, is a popular ingredient in dishes in southern India and the Middle East.
The resort's manager hoped money from the fish farm
would help cover
basic bills until tourists return
|
"We plan to harvest by November and will export
to the Middle East," Surendran said, predicting about four tonnes of pearl
spots growing in the swimming pool could be worth $40,000 on the market.
The makeshift farm would not cover the losses from the
pandemic, which has driven many hotels to bankruptcy, said the hotel boss.
But Surendran was hopeful that the money would help cover
basic bills so the business can keep running until tourists return.
And the Aveda plans to keep faith with the pearl spot
even when business resumes.
"We can't continue with this farm in the pool,
but we are trying to find alternative land where we can build up this knowledge
for bigger projects," he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment