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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.

ICAR-ICMFRI Turns 75; Launches Year-Long Anniversary Celebration Campaign

The ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) turned 75 years on 3rd February 2022.  On the occasion, the institute kick-started one-year-long campaign that includes various activities to mark the platinum jubilee celebrations.Established in 1947, the ICAR-CMFRI has been playing a pivotal role in stewarding India’s marine fishery resources since its inception. Over the past seven and half decades, the CMFRI which joined the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) in 1967, has grown significantly in size and stature emerging as a leading tropical marine fisheries research hub in the world. 

During the foundation day celebration, Dr J K Jena, Deputy Director General of the ICAR was the chief guest. He urged the CMFRI scientists to prioritise their focus of research in accordance with the urgent need of the society and the nation. “The Central Government is focusing on strengthening mariculture based alternative livelihood options like seaweed farming, marine ornamental fish culture etc. This would offer better livelihood option to the coastal communities and thereby supporting the country’s economy”, he said.Dr A Gopalakrishnan, Director of ICAR-CMFRI said that the institute broadened its objectives by diversifying towards potentially rewarding arenas such as mariculture, genetic and biotechnological applications. Keeping tab of the changes in the sector, research on climate change and bioprospecting will also be strengthened, he said.

Elaborating on the future plan of the institute, Dr Gopalakrishnan further said: “Given that mariculture is going to be a game changer in ensuring future fish production and also in providing income and employment security for coastal fishers, the ICAR-CMFRI will focus on precision mariculture with the aid of smart tools and automation with Artificial Intelligence (AI)”. Apart from this, a number of emerging areas of importance include marine environment management, marine biodiversity research, marine spatial planning, species identification and description, marine pollution research, fish disease diagnosis and control, resource monitoring and assessment, socioeconomics and so on, he added.

The logo for the year-long celebration was unveiled on the occasion. A theme song also was released.                         

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.

The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) has won the first position in the latest ranking of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) in the category of Fisheries and Animal Science institutes in the country. The Institute also secured the third position in the ranking of the 93 institutes under all divisions of Crop Science, Horticultural Science, Natural Resource Management, Agricultural Engineering, Animal Science and Fisheries Science.  The ranking was based on research and other activities of the institutes during 2019-2021. 

Also, the CMFRI ranked the highest in the ICAR institutes headquartered in Kerala. “This achievement is seen as a recognition for collective efforts of the CMFRI family in research and development activities for the sustainable growth of the country’s marine fisheries”, said Director Dr A Gopalakrishnan. In addition, attempts to popularise mariculture activities like cage fish and seaweed farming, technology development for breeding of commercially important fishes, research initiatives to develop nutraceutical products from marine organisms, efforts for making relevant policies, studies on socio-economics of the sector and extension activities among many others have helped CMFRI to achieve this feat, he said.Kochi headquartered CMFRI has regional research centres in Veraval, Karwar, Mangalore, Kozhikode, Vizhinjam, Chennai, Tuticorin, Mandapam, Visakhapatnam and Digha.  

Training Programme on

Recirculatory Aquaculture System for Nursery Rearing of Indian Pompano

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