International Seaweed Day Celebrations at Mandapam Regional Centre of ICAR-CMFRI
To commemorate ‘International Seaweed Day’ the Mandapam Regional Centre of ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) in association with SNAP Natural and Alginate Products Pvt Ltd., Ranipet organized ‘Seaweed farmers/collectors’ interaction meet’ on 4th June, 2025 at the Mandapam Regional Centre of ICAR-CMFRI. Around 350 seaweed farmers/collectors from Ramanathapuram and Kanyakumari districts participated in the meeting.
The programme was inaugurated by Thiru. Simranjeet Singh Kahlon, I.A.S. District Collector, Ramanathapuram. Felicitation address was delivered by Shri. K. T. Gopinath, Deputy Director of Fisheries & Fishermen Welfare, Ramanathapuram, Dr. P. Anantharaman, Secretary, Seaweed Research & Utilization & Visiting Professor, Alagappa University, and Ms. Kavita Nehemiah, Executive Director, SNAP Natural and Alginate Products Pvt Ltd., Ranipet.
Dr. V. Veeragurunathan, Principal Scientist & Scientist-in-Charge, CSIR-CSMCRI-Marine Algal Research Station, Mandapam Camp, Dr. M. Anand, Associate Professor & Head, Department of Marine and Coastal Studies, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai, Dr. C. Anand, Assistant Professor, Mandapam Centre for Sustainable Aquaculture, Directorate of Sustainable Aquaculture, TNJFU, Seeniappa Dharga, Dr. R. Bavithra, Scientist, Mandapam Regional Centre of ICAR-CMFRI, Shri. M. Sivakumar, Assistant Director of Fisheries & Fishermen Welfare, Mandapam, Shri. Mahendran, Ranger, Wildlife Range, Mandapam shared their views on issues and challenges in seaweed collection and farming. The seaweed farmers/collectors’ expressed their views and ideas, and also put forth their queries during the interaction session. The panel experts provided valuable suggestions and addressed their queries.
Earlier, Dr. Vinod, K., Principal Scientist & Head, Mandapam Regional Centre of ICAR-CMFRI delivered the welcome address and Dr. Johnson, B., Senior Scientist, Mandapam Regional Centre of ICAR-CMFRI coordinated the event and proposed words of gratitude to the participants.
International Seaweed Day is observed on the 4th of June every year. This day signifies the potential of seaweeds to address food security, climate change, and ecosystem health. It also encourages the inclusion of seaweed in our diets as a sustainable food alternative and promotes its discovery and dissemination.
