Home Vizhinjam Regional Centre

Thrust Areas of Research

Assessment of marine fishery resource characteristics of Vizhinjam and adjacent areas.
Development of captive breeding, seed production and farming technologies of marine ornamental fishes, food fishes and invertebrates.
Development of live feed culture techniques of selected microplankters.
Development of knowledge base on biodiversity of marine fishes and invertebrates.
Refinement and popularisation of image pearl production technology.

The Vizhinjam Regional Centre of Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute had its inception in 1951 as a survey centreas directed by Dr. N. K. Panikkar, the then Chief Research Officer of the Central Marine Fisheries Research Station at Mandapam Camp.This was later elevated to the status of a Research Unit in 1965 and subsequently to a sub-station in 1969. With the addition of more research programmes and personnel over the years, it has grown into the present full-fledged Regional Centre. The centre is located in the coastal village of Vizhinjamin NeyyattinkaraTaluk of Thiruvananthapuram District of Kerala. It is about 15 km south of Thiruvananthapuram city and famous for the fishing harbour with a lighthouse and a blue beach sheltered on the coast of Arabian Sea.

This Centre has been carrying out pioneering research, contributing substantially to the knowledge about the marine fisheries of this region. Realizing the importance of this centre which was housed in rented buildings, the Government of Keralahad allotted 1.7 acres of sea front land area for VRC of CMFRI to construct permanent Office-cum-Laboratory building, Marine hatcheries and Marine Research Aquarium. On completion of the Office-cum-Laboratory building, the Centre was shifted to the new premises in April 2013 and the new Marine Research Aquarium is opened to the public since June 2014.

Ongoing Research Projects

a. In-house Projects

b. Sponsored Projects

c. Consultancy Projects

Completed Research Projects

a. In-house Projects

b. Sponsored Projects

c. Consultancy Projects

Significant Achievements in the last 5 years

Technologies/Concepts/Findings

• Development of technology for Production of Image pearls/Designer pearls.
• Technology for commercial farming of spiny lobster Panulirus homarus in open sea cages.
• A viable technology for commercial farming of sea bass Lates calcarifer in floating sea cages.
• Technology developed for sea farming is multipurpose wooden floating cage.
• Technology for breeding and seed production of marine ornamental fishes, viz., Sebae clownfish, Amphiprion sebae, Blackfinned anemone fish– Amphiprion nigripes, Pink skunk clownfish Amphiprion perideraion, Clarkii clownfish, Amphiprion clarkii, Blue damsel Pomacentrus caeruleus, Sapphire damsel Pomacentrus pavo.
• Technology for large scale production of copepods Acartia spinicauda Temora turbinata and Pseudodiaptomus serricaudatus.
• Rapid bioassay tests using microbial, microalgal and brine shrimp assay were developed and standardized to test bioactivity profile o fmacro algal and sponge extracts.
• A cost-effective and rapid `foot adherence assay’ was developed using the common limpet, Patella vulgatato reduce the test period and to detect antifouling properties of MNPs from marine macro algae, sponges and holothuria.
• Developed captive husbandry and nursery strategies for mass rearing of the threatened species of sea horse (Hippocampus kuda). New tagging techniques for sea horse were developed and tested.
• Identified the causative agents and developed the preventive or control measures for a series of infections in marine ornamental fishes
• Studied the fouling succession pattern and net exchange protocols for sea cage farming in Vizhinjam and Kanyakumari coast