Penaeid shrimp landings at Vypin landing centre
Trainees interaction with scientist on Taxonomy and identification of commercially important crustaceans
Low value bycatch landed at Kasimedu fisheries harbour (Chennai)
The Shellfish Fisheries Division is dedicated to understanding and managing shellfish resources for sustainable development along the Indian coast. The Division’s research encompasses various aspects, including the assessment of fishery and resource characteristics of Penaeid and non-Penaeid shrimps, lobsters, and crabs across different maritime states. Additionally, the Division conducts stock assessments of major exploited crustacean resources, evaluates bycatch and discards from trawlers, studies recruitment dynamics of Penaeid shrimps, and maps the distribution and abundance of shellfish using GIS-based resources mapping. Furthermore, the Division evaluates molluscan fisheries, conducts studies on the biology of major commercial molluscan resources, and develops mariculture technologies for molluscs. Notable achievements include the development of protocols for shellfish culture, controlled breeding, and spat production, as well as the establishment of fishery management plans and advisories for various regions.
Additionally, the Division has made significant strides in technology development, including the creation of farming technologies for mussels, oysters, and pearl oysters, as well as the development of protocols for depuration, shucking, and value chain enhancement. Division’s efforts contribute to the sustainable management and utilization of shellfish resources along the Indian coast, ensuring their conservation for future generations.
- Thrust Areas of Research
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Major Achievements
- Database on resource composition of shellfishes landed along the Indian coast by different gears on a spatio-temporal platform, along with information on their biology, length distribution, reproductive, and feeding characteristics.
- Stock status of major exploited shellfish species harvested along the Indian coast was estimated and "Marine fish stock status of India, 2022" with advisories for sustainable harvest was proposed.
- Recruitment dynamics of penaeid prawns along the Indian coast were studied.
- GIS-based mapping of fishing activities and fishery resource distribution along the Indian coast was illustrated.
- Fishable potential for oceanic squids (Cephalopoda) in the Arabian Sea was assessed and an exploitation strategy was formulated.
- Distribution dynamics of Karikadi prawn along the southwest coast of India were studied and explained using a multi-dimensional approach.
- Successfully used multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) in a hybrid biofloc system for mass-scale production of bivalve seeds.
- Bivalve production along the Indian coast was popularized through mariculture technologies.
- Use of statoliths for age and growth studies of squids along the southwest coast of India was standardized.
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Technology or Concepts Developed
- Protocol culture of black tiger prawn, Penaeus Monodon (Fabricius) in open sea floating cage.
- Culture of Asian sea bass, Lates Calcarifer (Bloch,1790) in open sea floating cage off Kakinada coast in the bay of Bengal,
- Development of nursery rearing system for Asian sea bass, Lates Calcarifer (Bloch,1790) in the floating cage in sea.
- Open sea floating cage- a device for domestication and brood stock development of greasy grouper, Epinephelus tauvina (Forsskal,1775) off Visakhapatnam in the Bay of Bengal.
- Identification of Arachidonic acid from littoral Oligochaete Pontodrilus Bermudensis as Penaeid shrimp maturation stimulator.
- Protocol for culture of littoral Oligochaete Pontodrilus Bermudensis
- Publications: International-22, National-57, Special publications-4, book chapters-39, posters-2 and others-109.
- Books: 1. Handbook of Prawns, 2.Handbook of Marine Prawns of India
- MSY and FMSY for shrimps targeted by trawlers in Maharashtra were estimated as 44,647 t and 7.75 million trawling hours. The optimum number of trawlers in the state was computed at 2,778 as against present fleet of 5,613, indicating overcapacity in the trawling fleet.
- Average annual all India trawl landings for the period 2008-2011 is 17,21,000 t. which formed 51 % of the total marine fish landings in the country.
- Farming technologies for mussels, oysters, pearl oysters, clams.
- Commercial mussel and oyster farming was extended to new areas in Kerala and Karnataka and the 2011 production was estimated at 12,950 tonnes.
- Controlled breeding and spat production in Pinctada fucata, Crassostrea madrasensis, Perna viridis, Perna indica, Marcia opima, Paphia malabarica, Meretrix meretrix, Placuna placenta.
- An automatic mussel seeder developed for seeding mussels on to ropes.
- Several oyster and oceanic squid products developed in collaboration with NIFPHATT which were test marketed in Kochi successfully
- Blacklip pearl oyster spat production process, farming protocols and pearl and mabe pearl production technologies
- Depuration protocols for oysters and clams
- Development of live oyster value chain, Depuration display unit and protocols developed for live oyster consumption in high end restaurants.
- Process/protocols for steam shucking of oysters and clams (Patent application made in 2013).
- Developed all technological know-how for the launch of the oceanic squid value chain including fishing methods, area and season of abundance, stock abundance in relation to environmental factors, MSY and plan for exploitation.
- Determined that FAD fishing for cuttlefish is destructive to the stock and as per CMFRI advice the Government of Karnataka has banned the fishing practice.
- Developed Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Ashtamudi Lake short-neck clam fisheries, based on which the Kollam District administration has formed the Ashtamudi Lake Clam Fisheries Governance Council (ACFGC) which is a fisheries co-management council.
- Responsible for science back-up for MSC ecolabel for the Ashtamudi Lake short- neck clam fishery - which is the first certified fishery in the country.
- Developed advisories (66 recommendations) for management of marine fisheries of Kerala including extension of trawl ban and new ban for ring seiners
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Ongoing Research Projects
SI.No. Project Code Project Title Principal Investigator Project Period 1 SFD/IAF/12 Science for Sustainability: Developing an Integrated Assessment Framework (IAF) to support management decisions for marine fisheries of West Bengal & Odisha Dr. Gyanaranjan Dash 2024-2029 2 SFD/IAF/14 Science for Sustainability: Developing an Integrated Assessment Framework (IAF) to inform management decisions for marine fisheries of Gujarat, Daman & Diu Dr. Rajan Kumar 2024-2029 3 SFD/IAF/15 Science for Sustainability: Developing an Integrated Assessment Framework (IAF) to support management decisions for marine fisheries of Maharashtra Dr. V. Venkatesan 2024-2029 4 SFD/PSF/16 Investigations on the recruitment of juvenile/subadult penaeid shrimps form nursery habitats to derive management insights for the coastal penaeid shrimp fishery Dr. Lakshmi S. Pillai 2024-2028 5 SFD/BGF/17 Assessment and management of small-scale bivalve and gastropod fisheries for sustainable exploitation in India Dr. Geetha Sasikumar 2024-2029 -
Scientific Staff
No Name Designation 1 Dr. A. P. Dineshbabu Principal Scientist & Head, SFD 2 Dr. Josileen Jose Principal Scientist 3 Dr. M. K. Anil Principal Scientist 4 Dr. Geetha Sasikumar Principal Scientist 5 Dr. S. Lakshmi Pillai Principal Scientist 6 Dr. Rekhadevi Chakraborty Principal Scientist 7 Dr. Venkatesan V. Principal Scientist & SIC 8 Dr. Gyanaranjan Dash Senior Scientist 9 Dr. Vidya R. Senior Scientist 10 Dr. Indira Divipala Scientist 11 Dr. Jasmin F. Scientist 12 Smt. M. Kavitha Scientist 13 Shri. Rajesh Kumar Pradhan Scientist 14 Shri. Sunil Kumar S. Ail Scientist 15 Dr. Rajkumar M. Scientist 16 Smt. P. Gomathi Scientist 17 Dr. Rajan Kumar Scientist 18 Dr. Bhendekar Santosh Nagnath Scientist
