Home Mangalore Regional Centre

Thrust Areas of Research:

Stock assessment of exploited marine fishes of Karnataka and Goa
Propagation of small mariculture technologies suitable for adoption in coastal Karnataka
Monitoring health of coastal ecosystems
Socio-economics of marine fishers of Karnataka
Develop advisories for management of marine fisheries of Karnataka and Goa

Ongoing Research Projects:

a. In-house projects :

b. Ongoing- Funded Projects:

Completed Research Projects (last plan period):

a. In-house projects :

b. Completed–Funded Projects:

c. Consultancy Projects:

Significant Achievements in the last 5 years

Technologies/Concepts/Findings

Capture Fisheries

• Prediction and modelling of marine fishery yields from Arabian Sea off Karnataka using ECOSIM
• Strengthened the scientific database -catch and effort of the exploited fish stocks and their distribution, abundance, biological characteristics, mortality rates, yield per recruit, status of exploitation, sustainable yield and techno-economics of fishing operations.
• The effect of bottom trawling on the benthic fauna off Mangalore coast was studied and reported
• Log sheets in local languages prepared and distributed to sampled commercial fishing crafts to collect in-situ data on fishing operations, catch and effort.  
• Participatory GIS program (PGIS) in marine fisheries for spatio-temporal resource mapping to  avoid resource damage, identify seasonal juvenile abundance and   evolve management strategies for conservation and sustainable harvesting
• Innovative GIS based methodology developed for resource mapping of marine fishes to reduce CO2 emission from Trawlers. 
• Purse-seining with light popularized through fishing demonstrations off Karnataka coast
• Advisories cautioning the impact of this destructive fishing method were provided to the State administration
• Limit reference points (LRP),YMSY & fMSY and target reference point (TRP), f0.1, were set for cephalopod resources (Karnataka) to guide rational fisheries management decision.
• Inter-cohort growth pattern of cuttlefish, Sepia pharaonis population (Clade C), distributed along the Eastern Arabian Sea (South-West coast of India) modelled.
• Protocols for age estimation in Indian squid Uroteuthis (Photololigo) duvauceli using hard-parts standardised.
• Protocol for tagging large sized yellowfin tunas with pop-up satellite tags was standardized.
• Bivalve harvesting areas classified developed for the DK District of Karnataka based on the US NSSP and EU Guidelines

Mariculture

• Technology of green mussel using Participatory Action Model, (PAM) developed for the fishermen of Saligramma, Karnataka
• Integrated farming of mussels and shrimps for additional income generation involving the participation of shrimp farmers from Saligrama developed
• Mud -crab fattening technique   introduced and popularised in Karnataka
• Technology for the offshore cage culture of finfishes and crustaceans in a participatory research program with the association of traditional fishermen of Karnataka was developed and demonstrated
• Capture based aquaculture Technology for Karnataka in participatory research program mode with traditional fishermen of the State of Karnataka state was evolved and demonstrated.
• Concept for Spatial marine planning for success of Mariculture was developed
• Suspended bivalve farming techniques refined and location specific protocols for farming of mussels using rack, raft and longline in estuarine and coastal waters of Karnataka developed

Social Science

• Participatory Poverty Assessment (PPA) using Participatory Poverty Assessment Registers (PPAR) used for assessment of poverty of fisher folk across all sectors of marine fisheries.
• Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) was developed for the Marine Fisheries Sector of Karnataka.
• Vulnerability index (V.I) developed to measure the vulnerability of coastal districts of Karnataka to climate change.
• Farmer Sustainability Index (FSI) developed to measure the adoption of sustainable practices in capture based aquaculture.

Fishery Enviornment

• Seasonal and interannual variations of oceanographic conditions off Mangalore coast (Karnataka, India) and their influences on the pelagic fishery.
• Physiological biomarker response in bivalves integrated with environmental variability and a tool for site selection in bivalve farming developed.
• Levels of trace metals, Cd, Pb, Cu, Zn, Ni and Fe in seawater and their bioaccumulation in green mussel Perna viridis were monitored.
• Lysosomal membrane stability of haeomcytes in Perna viridis was standardized as a biomarker of environmental quality of bivalve beds of Karnataka.
• Sampling protocol for insitu collection of fishery and environmental parameters developed for validating chlorophyll and fish production.
• Water quality: of estuarine and coastal areas monitored seasonally and annually.
• Trace metals (arsenic and mercury) in Mackerel, Oil sardine, squid, crab and prawn was found to be within the safe limit of WHO.
• A study of the coastal beaches of Karnataka and Goa was carried out to assess the impact of marine litter.

Biodiversity

• Database for underwater visual census of coral fishes developed for the first time in Karnataka.
• Fauna and flora of marine, estuarine and islands off Karnataka estimated.
• Coastal birds and seabirds   (41 species) occurring along the Karnataka were identified and photographed.
• Stranding’s, sightings and incidental catch of marine mammals, seaturtles recorded from and off the coast of Karnataka.
• The centre generated 79.28 lakhs of rupees through 14 consultancy projects (2004-2009)