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ICAR-CMFRI Wins Two ICAR Awards

The ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) has won national recognition with the institute bagging two national-level awards instituted by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).

The ICAR-CMFRI won the Best Annual Report award (2020) in the category of ICAR large institutes while Dr Anusree M, a Ph D scholar at CMFRI bagged the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for PG Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Research in Agricultural and Allied Sciences for 2021. The annual report contains key information on the institute’s research activities and outputs in a year.  This is the second time within seven years the CMFRI’s annual report is selected as the national best.

Dr Anusree was designated for the award for her doctoral thesis on the topic ‘Characterization and Evaluation of Small Molecular Bioactives and Polysaccharides from the Phaeophytic Marine Macroalga Sargassum wightii (family Sargassaceae) as Defense Metabolites against Oxidative Stress-Induced Diseases’. Her research works involved in developing potential pharmacophores and nutraceuticals with anti-dyslipidemic, anti-diabetic, and anti-hypertensive activities from seaweeds, under the guidance of Dr Kajal Chakraborty, Principal Scientist of CMFRI. The award includes a cash prize of Rs. 50,000, citation, certificate, and a silver medal.

The ICAR- CMFRI was selected for the awards from among 114 institutes in India under the ICAR.  The institute had won the Sardar Patel Outstanding ICAR institutions award, the highest award of the ICAR, in 2020.

Seafood Watch Assessment of Indian Squid - A Clarification by ICAR-CMFRI

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Awareness Programme on Seaweed Culture using HDPE Raft based Method in North Andhra Coast

An awareness programmes on seaweed culture using HDPE raft based method in North Andhra coast was organised for fisher youth under AINP-M project for three days during 22 to 24, February 2023 at ICAR-CMFRI, Visakhapatnam Regional Centre. The programme was attended by 25 fisher youth from Visakhapatnam and Vizianagaram districts of Andhra Pradesh. Seaweed culture using innovative HDPE raft based net tube method was developed by CMFRI, Visakhapatnam Regional Centre to suite to the sea climatic conditions in these region. Accordingly, during the three days programme, the fishermen were given exposure on the use of seaweeds, different culture methods and economic benefit of seaweed culture in enhancing their livelihood. Also, the participants were given field exposure on preparation of HDPE raft, tube nets, and culture aspects. During the programme, the fishermen were also educated about different schemes available under PMMSY for seaweed cultivation by the officials from Department of Fisheries, Government of Andhra Pradesh.  The programme was jointly organised by ICAR-CMFRI, Visakhapatnam Centre in association with in association with an NGO viz., LAYA. The programme was coordinated by Dr. Sekar Megarajan, with Co-Coordinators including Dr. Ritesh Ranjan, Dr. Biji Xavier, Dr. Jeyasree Loka and Dr. Shubhadeep Ghosh from Visakhapatnam Regional Centre of ICAR-CMFRI, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.

Training Programme on Recirculating Aquaculture System for Nursery Rearing of Indian Pompano

Hands on training programmes on Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) for nursery rearing of Indian pompano were organised by Visakhapatnam Regional Centre of ICAR – CMFRI from 28th November 2022 to 23rd February, 2023. The training programmes were conducted under National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) funded project. The main aim of the training programme was to create awareness, impart knowledge and develop trained manpower on nursery rearing of marine finfishes in RAS and further dissemination of the technology. Six batches of training was organised of 25 participants from each batch with a total of 150 participants drawn from 800 applicants. The participants composed of diversified fields including scientific, extension, development, self-employed and farming communities representing different states of India including Andhra Pradesh (103), Tamil Nadu (13), West Bengal (9), Telangana (5), Kerala (4), Bihar (4), Gujarat (3), Madhya Pradesh (3), Odisha (2), Haryana (1), Karnataka (1), Maharashtra (1) and Punjab (1). The trainees were exposed and given hands on training on design, construction and operation of RAS, nursery rearing protocols for Indian pompano, feeding, water quality and disease management in RAS. Economic analysis which can be helpful in understanding the financial performance of RAS or proposed investment in it, especially for the nursery rearing of marine finfishes, more specifically the economic aspects of nursery rearing  of Indian pompano in RAS was also dealt.  

Details of different batches of RAS training conducted

·         1st batch – 28th November to 3rd  December, 2022

·         2nd batch – 5th to 10th December, 2022

·         3rd batch – 19th to 24th December, 2022

·         4th batch – 23rd to 28th January, 2023

·         5th batch – 6th to 11th February, 2023

·         6th batch – 20th to 25th February, 2023

The training programme was coordinated by Dr. Ritesh Ranjan with co-coordinators as Dr. Sekar Megarajan, Dr. Biji Xavier and Dr. Shubhadeep Ghosh.

Workshop on One Health Aquaculture calls for Indo-UK partnership

Fishery scientists and experts from India and the United Kingdom have called for an Indo-UK partnership to achieve the One Health Aquaculture concept in the Indian aquatic food sector.  They were speaking at One Health Aquaculture India Workshop which was jointly organised by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) of the UK government Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) from 20-22 February 2023 in Kochi.One Health Aquaculture approach aims to achieve optimal health for the people, aquatic animals and plants, and the environment. Shedding light on the concept at the workshop, experts said while focusing on boosting production to meet growing seafood demand, it is equally important to improve the health of all involved in the value chain of the aquatic food sector.Funded by the Ocean Country Partnership Programme (OCPP) of the UK Government’s Blue Planet Fund, the workshop observed an Indo-UK partnership facilitating research collaboration would help to support the adoption of a sustainable seafood practice, reducing the risk of negative impacts from unsustainable activities and subsequently improving the livelihoods, environments, and economies of the country.

    Dr A Gopalakrishnan, Director of ICAR-CMFRI stressed the need to create a national-level agency to coordinate different fragmented efforts to maintain sustainability and health concept in aquaculture. There are mechanisms that orient Indian aquaculture towards the One Health paradigm like National Surveillance Programme for Aquatic Animal Diseases (NSPAAD), Indian Network for Fisheries and Animal Antimicrobial Resistance (INFAAR), All India Network Project on Fish Health, Consortia Research Platform on Vaccine and Diagnostics, etc., he said. Sally Taylor from the British High Commission said a higher level UK-India One Health partnership would set the stage for the integration of the aquatic food system into the One Health concept thereby addressing emerging realities and concerns at the global level.

From Block-chain enabled tracking to policy concepts

The workshop also suggested novel initiatives like block-chain enabled tracking of fish production from farm to table as it helps improve the quality of the produce. In order to inculcate one health concept in India’s aquatic food sector, policy interventions for dissemination and management of genetically improved varieties and restricting the use of drugs in human health and medicines used for veterinary, agriculture and aquaculture, it suggested.The workshop discussed how new and emerging technologies could help understand and ultimately reduce the impact of supply chain hazards and, build a framework engagement between stakeholders interested in the sustainable development of the aquaculture sector.Referring to the increased disease risks involved in aquaculture, Dr C Ramachandran, Principal Scientist of the ICAR-CMFRI said it is the need of the hour to appoint aqua doctors to prevent abuse of chemicals like antibiotics in aquaculture. “Collaborative R&D efforts are required for revival and market integration of traditional fish farming systems such as pokkali farming under the One Health lens”, he said.