Harvest of cage farmed cobia

Harvested pompano

Hatchery produced silver pompano fingerlings

The heritage block of Mandapam Regional Centre of CMFRI

The Mandapam Regional Centre of ICAR-CMFRI is located two kilometres away from Mandapam Camp, Ramanathapuram District of Tamil Nadu overseeing the Palk Bay in the north and Gulf of Mannar in the South. The headquarters of ICAR-CMFRI was at Mandapam Camp from 1949 to 1971 in the Naval Hospital Complex which was acquired and modified into Laboratories and other facilities. In the year 1971, the headquarters was shifted to Cochin and Mandapam became the largest Regional Centre of ICAR-CMFRI. The campus is spread over 92 acres which includes office buildings, laboratories, hatchery complex, National Marine Broodbank, Recirculation Aquaculture System, Marine Biodiversity Museum, Marine Reef Aquarium, Library, Conference Hall, Guest House, International Trainees Hostel and staff residential quarters. Apart from the main campus, a fish farm and a lagoon at Pillaimadam (708 acres) are also available for research.

The Mandapam Regional Centre of ICAR-CMFRI focuses on various research areas crucial for sustainable marine resource management and livelihoods. Its key research thrusts include broodstock development, breeding, and seed production of high-value marine finfishes and shellfishes, investigations on climate-resilient species for mariculture, database development on capture fisheries and socio- economic aspects, interventions for coral reef ecosystem conservation, and bio- prospecting from marine resources. Over the years, the Centre has made significant achievements in these areas. The Centre successfully developed the broodstock and breeding techniques for cobia and silver pompano, along with induced breeding and larviculture protocols. Additionally, the Centre has pioneered techniques for high-density mass culture of microalgae, rotifers, nursery rearing protocols for cobia and silver pompano, and sea cage farming methods for cobia. Furthermore, the Centre has developed integrated farming systems combining cobia with seaweed and coastal pond farming methods for silver pompano. Other notable accomplishments include pen culture of milkfish, broodstock development using photo-thermal regulation in RAS, and mass transportation techniques for cobia and silver pompano fingerlings. These efforts contribute significantly to the sustainable development of marine aquaculture and conservation initiatives in the region, enhancing both ecological resilience and socio-economic well-being. 

For more details : https://cmfrimandapamict.online/