Greetings to all..

Major strides of ICAR-CMFRI during January-March 2025 include the inauguration of the Centre of Excellence for Seaweeds, strengthening national efforts in seaweed research and development. Considerable progress was achieved in marine ornamental captive breeding of citron clown goby, Allen’s damsel and Lemon damsel, along with successful spawning of marine ornamental gastropods. The initiation of India’s first commercial trawl trial for mesopelagic resource exploration marked an important step towards the responsible utilisation of deep-sea resources. Major research strides during the period included dronebased coastal ecosystem surveys, deep-sea sediment expeditions supporting bioenergy-related research, the discovery of a new eight-gilled hagfish species, and the development of an interactive beachlitter mapping platform. Extensive outreach programmes covering mangrove planting, seaweed farming technology transfer, stakeholder consultations, MLS awareness workshops, biodiversity training and conservation initiatives further strengthened community engagement and sustainable fisheries management.

With best wishes.

Dr. Grinson George

Director
Email: director.cmfri@icar.org.in