Indian Council of Agricultural Research

Vision
‘Fish for all’

Mission
Sustainable growth of Indian fisheries and aquaculture by interfacing research, education and extension resulting in a proper fit between the human needs and the habitat, with an important role in global fisheries.

• Results-Framework Document for Fisheries Division (1st April, 2011- 31st March, 2012)
• Annual Performance Evaluation Report of RC (April 1, 2011 to March 31, 2012)

Mandate

• To formulate and supervise council’s policies and work pertaining to fisheries research.
• To coordinate and stimulate operational research programmes and demonstration in different fisheries systems.
• To serve as knowledge repository and clearing house in fisheries sector.

Organizational Structure

Thrust Areas (Priority wise)

Capture Fisheries (Marine & Inland)

• Species-wise biological database of commercially exploited marine fish stock and estimate of existing fish yield.
• Meeting the challanges of responsible fisheries.
• Computer based models for fishery management in open waters.
• Developing marine and estuarine biodiversity database, formulating conservation and management action plan on GIS platform
• Using remote sensing technology, mapping potential inland fishery resources in the country incorporating information on production, dominant catch trends, species composition and ecological status.
• Impact of river linking on fish stocks, aquatic biodiversity and estimating environmental flows in river systems to sustain ecosystem properties and production.
• Generating long term data base on ecosystem ecology, responses of fish behaviour including physiology to climate extreme changes in inland and marine environments.
• Develop climate change action plan ensuring to minimize negative impacts and exploit new opportunities.
• Environmental impact assessment and bioremediation of stressed aquatic ecosystems
• Assessment and action plan for hill fishery resource management.
• Pilot-scale testing of appropriate management models for improving fisheries in reservoirs, lakes and floodplain wetlands.
• Addressing the issues related to safety at sea for fishers both in terms of policy and support.

Aquaculture: (Freshwater, Brackishwater, Mariculture & Coldwater)

• Developing sustainable technologies for mariculture, open sea culture.
• Diversification in aquaculture by bringing more potential fin/ shellfish species and varied culture systems in fresh and brackishwater farming.
• Breeding and culture of high value fin-fish and shell-fishes.
• Organic aqua-farming
• Fish health management, immuno-prophylaxis and therapeutic against common diseases.
• Ornamental fish breeding and farming
• Up-scaling of breeding and culture technologies for potential coldwater fish species.
• Technology development for aquaculture inland saline water areas.
• Up-scaling pen and cage culture technology in reservoirs and wetlands.
• Fish nutrition, feed development and technology for live feed organisms.
• Water budgeting in inland aquaculture
• Development of water re-circulating units for different aquaculture systems.
• Genetic improvement in existing finfish and shellfish species for growth and disease resistance.

Fish Genetics & Biotechnology:

• Cataloguing fish germplasm resources for developing biodiversity repository.
• Developing technologies for post-mortem sperm preservation and genome conservation.
• Exotics and quarantine, import risk analysis and disease diagnostics
• Genotyping of fish and shellfishes and allied taxonomic groups across different ecosystems.
• Genetic cataloguing of microbes
• Cytogenetics and genotoxicity studies in fish and shellfish.
• Developing standards and certification norms for primary fish produce and products.

Harvest & Post- harvest:

• Design of new generation (fuel efficient) fishing vessels and gears.
• Eco-friendly and responsible fishing techniques for EEZ.
• Energy conservation in fish harvesting, processing and transportation.
• Technologies for utilization of fish by-catch
• Develop eco-friendly fishing techniques for harnessing sustainable fishery from the rivers and reservoirs.
• Processing, value addition, packaging and marketing of fishery products.
• Minimize post harvest losses and effective utilization of fishing waste.
• Extraction of Bioactive substances of pharmacological importance.
• Protocols for sanitation, hygiene and quality control
• Quality management and food security

Fishery Engineering:

• Development of on board and on shore equipment for fishing and fish processing.
• Bioinformatics and IT based solutions to fisheries harvest and post harvest issues.
• Development of techniques to control seepage in ponds for aquaculture.
• Develop techniques for fish farm construction in porous and loose soils.

Fishery Education:

• Human Resource Development in emerging areas of fishery, aquaculture, harvest-post harvest, processing, aquaculture engineering, aquatic environment and agri-business management.
• Documenting entire information on fisheries and aquaculture in the country for providing inputs to policy and governance.

Achievements

• Multiple breeding in carps for year round fish seed availability achieved and development of Jayanti rohu with 17% higher annual growth.



• Low cost, zero water exchange technology for shrimp farming developed.
• High health and high growth technology for shrimp farming in progress.
• Successful trials of shrimp farming in inland saline area with good production.



• Seed production and culture technology for Asian Seabass for brackishwater aquaculture.



• Development of Open sea cage farming of Seabass and lobsters along the west and east coast of India.



• First time breeding of Cobia and larval rearing at Mandapam.



• Broodstock development, breeding, larval rearing of marine ornamental fish.



• Award winning juvenile and turtle excluder device in trawl nets.
• Development of big mesh size purse seine for deep sea pelagic fishing.



• Production process of value added products from cuttlefish, squids, threadfin breams, Tilapia and major carps standardized.




• Developed packaging system for cooked fish products in retortable flexible pouches to maintain and preserve quality of products for more than a year.
• Standardized mitochondrial DNA sequence-based species identification and PCR-based sex determination of marine mammals.
• Developed a method for detection of White Spot Disease in shrimp as also RT-PCR technique for detection of Yellow Head Virus.



• Captive brood stock development and domestication of Kuruma shrimp Marsupenaeus japonicus, a potential candidate species for aquaculture
• M .japonicus was successfully cultured registering a survival of 83 % and a production of 1018 kg/ha/4 months
• Successful breeding of yellow catfish, Horabagrus brachysoma and freshwater eel Mastecemebelus aculeatus was carried out.
• Giant Freshwater Prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii was bred in captivity using inland saline water and post-larvae raised with suitable ionic amendments.
• Larval rearing protocol were developed for honey comb grouper Epinephelus merra.
• In vitro marine pearl production through tissue culture technique was successfully carried out in Indian Pearl Oyster Pinctada fucata and abalone, Haliotis varia
• Make-up pearl production where Pinctada fucata pearls were colour-modified to mercurial blue and mercurial pink using heavy metals like iron and manganese.
• Two species of sand lobster (Thenus orientalis, Scyllarus rugosus) were successfully bred in captivity.



• Indidenous feed Varuna developed for marine ornamental fishes.
• A probiotic preparation for the control of luminescent bacteria in the hatchery has been developed
• Polymorphic microsatellite and allozyme markers developed for 15 fish species and macrobrachium rosenbergii
•  Developed a database ‘Fish Chromosome World’ containing karyo-morphological information on 126 finfish species from 34 families and 9 orders.
• Stock structure analysis using alllozyme and microsatellite was carried out in Labeo rohita, Catla catla, Cirrhinus mrigala, Labeo dero and L.dycheilus from different riverine system in Indo-Gangetic plains.
• Cage culture, breeding and seed production of golden mahseer carried at Bhimtal lake.



• Guidelines for introduction of Aquatic Exotic and Quarantine in support of national Strategic Plan were developed and published.
• Location and altitude specific composite carp farming technology developed for hilly areas. Demonstration of Chinese carp system conducted in North-eastern states.



• High fish production level of 220 kg/ha/year has been achieved from small reservoirs through cage and culture technology as against the national average of 20 kg/ha/year.



• High production from 100-200 kg/ha/year to 1000 kg/ha/year attained in beels/ wetlands through penculture technology.



• Development of 250 kg hybrid solar fish dryer with LPG/Biogaas hitting system (CIFT-CRYER-SDL 250) for drying fish under control condition to ensure superior quality product with attractive colour.

Transfer of Technologies and socio-economic impact :

Technologies developed by the Fisheries Division for suitable craft and gear development, management of inland, brackishwater, marine and coldwater fishery resources; inland, brackishwater and marine fish and shellfish culture technologies; development of feeds; harvest and post-harvest technology; value addition etc are being popularized and implemented through regular interactions with user agencies, by imparting training , short term courses , consultancies and frontline demonstrations. The proactive approach of large scale demonstrations of carp culture technology throughout the country had tremendous impact on freshwater fish production with national average in pond production of 3 t/ha/year with total fish production of 3.5 million t from freshwater aquaculture. The technology of high density carp seed pond rearing has resulted in annual fish seed production of 24000 million fry. Similarly, with the introduction of trawlers, purse seines and improved gear technologies, and scientific management of resources, marine fish catches have reached to the tune of 3 million t.

The Fisheries Division has taken up challenging issues like impact of climate change on fisheries and aquaculture, vulnerability, adaptation and mitigation measures. Research on water budgeting in inland aquaculture has been initiated. Open sea cage farming of fishes and lobsters, hatchery production and pond production of shrimp and Asian Seabass is being demonstrated at several centres of east and west coast of India. Feed for different life stages of carps, shrimp and seabass has been developed , transferred to private entrepreneurs for commercial production.

Future Outlook :

• Impact of climate change on fisheries and aquaculture
• Development of designs of new-generation, fuel efficient, multi-purpose fishing vessels
• Development of innovative gears like large mesh size purse seine to exploite deeper water fishes.
• Monitoring of health of inland and coastal aquatic ecosystems.
• Development of technology for bio-remediation process of degraded aquatic resources.
• Water budgeting in inland aquaculture
• Seed production, grow out technology for ornamental fishes
• Species diversification in inland and brackishwater aquaculture
• Low cost –low input shrimp farming technology based on organic farming principles .
• Modified zero water exchange technology for fish and shrimp farming
• Open sea mariculture for fish and shellfish
• Affordable ready to eat fish products
• Improved processing technologies for fishery products and by-products of international standards.
• Development of bioactive and pharmaceutically important products from aquatic resources.
• Reduction in loss of fish during harvest and post harvest period.
• Fishery waste utilization.
• Evolving techniques to ensure seafood safety.
• Development of designs of new-generation, fuel efficient, multi-purpose fishing vessels