Sea ranching of Green tiger shrimp (Penaeus semisulcatus) at Kottaippattinam, Pudukottai District, Palk Bay under the Central Sector Scheme Component of Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY)
ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute is regularly undertaking sea ranching of hatchery-produced green tiger shrimp, Penaeus semisulcatus, in the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay to augment natural stocks and enhance shrimp fishery productivity. This initiative contributes significantly to the livelihood security of coastal fishers while promoting the conservation and sustainable management of wild shrimp resources. Recognizing the ecological and socio-economic importance of this activity, a project “Sea Ranching of Green Tiger Shrimp (Penaeus semisulcatus) Post Larvae (PL) in Palk Bay and Gulf of Mannar, Tamil Nadu” is being implemented by the Mandapam Regional Centre of ICAR-CMFRI with financial support from the Department of Fisheries under the Central Sector Scheme component of Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY). The project envisages the release of 200 million green tiger shrimp post-larvae over a four-year period (2022–2026) in the Palk Bay and Gulf of Mannar regions of Tamil Nadu.
As part of the programme, 2.0 million hatchery-produced green tiger shrimp seeds (PL-45) were sea ranched at Kottaippattinam in Palk Bay on 21 May 2026. The seed release was carried out by members of the trawl boat owners and fishermen welfare association in the presence of Dr. K. Vinod, Head of the Centre; Dr. G. Tamilmani and Dr. M. Sankar, Principal Investigators of the project; scientists and staff of the Mandapam Regional Centre of ICAR-CMFRI; and officials from the Department of Fisheries and Fishermen Welfare. The fishermen expressed their gratitude to the Government of India and ICAR-CMFRI for this initiative and noted that the programme would play an important role in replenishing green tiger shrimp stocks in the region. Since the inception of the project in February 2022, a cumulative total of 145.54 million green tiger shrimp seeds have been sea ranched in the Palk Bay and Gulf of Mannar ecosystems. The sea ranching programme was coordinated by Dr. M. Sakthivel, Principal Scientist, ICAR-CMFRI Mandapam Regional Centre.
