Calicut Regional Station main campus
Marine Hatchery complex
Beach hatchery and pond complex
Marine aquarium for public awareness
The Calicut Regional Station of CMFRI is dedicated to several key areas of research aimed at understanding and managing marine fisheries resources effectively. The thrust areas include the assessment of marine fishery resource characteristics, stock assessment of marine fish stocks in Kerala and Lakshadweep, and the development of policy briefs for marine fisheries management in these regions. Additionally, the station focuses on captive breeding and seed production of commercially important fin and shell fishes, as well as the development of sustainable mariculture practices, particularly for bivalve farming. Over the last five years, the station has made significant achievements, including the preparation of databases on catch, effort, and species composition of various exploited fish species, as well as trophodynamics studies. The station has successfully demonstrated the culture of pearl spot using low-cost cages and studied the carrying capacity of mussel farming areas. Moreover, the station has conducted research on the pathology of various marine organisms, including the mangrove red snapper, and recorded stranding events of dolphins, whales, and porpoises, contributing to a comprehensive database of marine mammals in the Malabar area. These achievements underscore the station's commitment to advancing knowledge and promoting sustainable practices in marine fisheries management and mariculture.
- Thrust Areas of Research
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Major Achievements
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Technology or Concepts Developed
- Database on catch, effort and species composition of fishery resources exploited by different gears in the north Kerala were prepared.
- Database on life-history traits of commercially important fishery resources and as an input for developing ecosystem based fisheries management models.
- Data base on trophodynamics of commercially exploited fishery resources in north Kerala region was prepared.
- Low-value bycatch, utilisation and discards from trawl were studied.
- Rearing of Goldsilk seabream Acanthopagrus berda in the beach farm at Calicut has shown that this species is suitable for culture along this coast.
- Standardised protocol for breeding and seed production of Goldsilk seabream Acanthopagrus berda in confined hatchery condition at CMFRI, Calicut.
- Culture of pearl spot (Etroplus suratensis), mangrove red snapper (Lutjanus argentimaculatus) and Asian sea bass (Lates calcarifer), was successfully demonstrated using low-cost cages to the fish farmers of northern Kerala.
- Sustainable culture of green mussel (Perna viridis) promoted in northern Kerala. Carrying capacity in the mussel farming areas of Padanna Estuary was studied, which indicated positive impact on the physical and ecological carrying capacity of this estuary.
- Training on bivalve, marine fish farming, cage culture being regularly conducted
- Investigated marine litter prevalence in beaches of northern Kerala and its composition. Studies indicated that Beypore beach is prone to more anthropogenic activities than other beaches in Calicut. The plastics and other non-biodegradable wastes showed 80% higher quantity in Beypore than other beaches in Calicut.
- Stranding of dolphins, whales, and porpoises were recorded in the northern Kerala area and supported in maintaining a database of marine mammal stranding and sightings.
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Ongoing Research Projects
- Resource Assessment and Management Framework for Sustainable Marine Fisheries of Kerala (DEM/RMS/07)
- Developing management plans for sustainable exploitation & conservation of elasmobranchs in India (DEM/ELS/11)
- National Fishery Management Framework for Large Pelagic Resources Research project (PEL/LPR/04)
- Marine Macrophytes in India- Resource dynamics and Ecosystem services (FEM/MPH/29)
- Observation and monitoring of coastal and marine pollution, Its impact on sea life-Prevention and mitigation (FEM/CMP/28)
- Developing conservational plan for biologically sensitive areas along the Indian Coast (MBD/CNS/30)
- Assessment of resilience potential of coral reefs (MBD/CRL/31)
- Jellyfish bloom dynamics in coastal and marine ecosystems of India (MBD/JLY/32)
- Development of hatchery technologies for prioritized species in mariculture (MDN/HCY/18)
- Development of Sustainable Mariculture Practices through Technological Innovations in Cage and Coastal Farming" (MDN/SMP/19)
- Analyses of reproductive characteristics of prioritized species for mariculture (MDN/REP/20)
- Delineating the compensatory growth pattern in stunted fingerlings of Marine finfishes for production enhancement (MDN/GRO/22)
- Impacts of extreme weather events on marine fisheries in selected ecosystems of northern Indian ocean – a geoinformatics approach (FEM/GIS/38)
- Marine microbial diversity in relation to ecosystem functioning and environmental changes (MBEMD/MMD/39)
- Preparation of Interactive Digital Inventory of Marine Fish Landing Centres, Fishing Operations and Fishery Resources Along Indian Coast
- TSP –SCSP Programmes
- Assessment of marine mammal stock and bycatch and sea turtle bycatch for their protection
- National Surveillance Programme for Aquatic Animal Diseases (NSPAAD) Phase II
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Scientific Staff
No Name Designation 1 Dr. Anulekshmi Chellappan Senior Scientist & SIC 2 Dr. Akhilesh K. V. Senior Scientist 3 Dr. Shilta M. T. Scientist 4 Dr. Vaisakh G. Scientist 5 Smt. Ramya Abhijith Scientist
