Focus of Research :
- Sustainability and Management of Indian Marine shellfish Fisheries
- Taxonomy and biology of shell fishes
- Shellfish breeding and seed production
Background :
I joined the Agricultural Research Service in 2018 after completing the 108th FOCARS at the National Academy of Agricultural Research Management (NAARM), Hyderabad, and was posted to the ICAR–Central Island Agricultural Research Institute (CIARI), Port Blair, in October 2018. In March 2022, I moved to the Minicoy Regional Station of CIARI, Union Territory of Lakshadweep, where I continued my research and professional activities in island and marine fisheries. In October 2025, I joined the Vizhinjam Regional Centre of the ICAR–Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. At present, my research focuses on the taxonomy, fisheries biology, stock assessment, craft and gear technology, and breeding of shell fishes, with particular emphasis on the shellfish resources of the southern Indian coast.
Additionally, I have contributed to the sustainable fisheries, mariculture and agriculture extension in Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep islands
Education :
- Ph.D 2023, Fisheries Resource Management, CIFE, Mumbai
- M.F.Sc 2016, Fisheries Resource Management, CIFE, Mumbai
- B.F.Sc 2014, KUFOS, Panangad
Current Research Projects :
No | Project Details | Name of funding agency |
1 | Captive breeding and seed production of important finfishes, shellfishes, other invertebrates and seaweeds for sustainable mariculture, fisheries enhancement and conservation (MD/CBR/18) Status: Co-Principal Investigator | ICAR |
2 | Translational Mariculture Grow-out Technologies: Bridging Innovation and Sustainability for Blue Growth and Greener Future (MD/MGT/19) Status: Co-Principal Investigator | ICAR |
3 | Assessment and management of small-scale bivalve and gastropod fisheries for sustainable exploitation in India (SFD/BGF/17) Status: Co-Principal Investigator | ICAR |
4 | Science for Sustainability: Developing an Integrated Assessment Framework (IAF) to support management decisions for marine fisheries of Kerala & Lakshadweep FFD/IAF/09” Status: Co-Principal Investigator | ICAR |
5 | Scheduled caste Subplan project Status: Co-Principal Investigator | ICAR |
Awards & Recognitions :
Junior Research Fellowship in Fisheries Resource Management (2014-2016), Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi, India
Publications:
- Ajina S.M., Jayachandran, K.V., Landge, A.T., Gladston, Y. and Pavan-Kumar, A., 2019. Establishment of taxonomic status of Macrobrachium indicum Jayachandran amp; Joseph (Decapoda: Palaemonidae) through molecular characterization with a note on related species. Zootaxa, 4652(1), pp.zootaxa-4652.
- Ajina, S.M., Gladston, Y., SriHari, M., Kiruba-Sankar, R., Pavan- Kumar, A., Roy, S.D. and Jaiswar, A.K., 2022. New Distributional Record of Blacklash scorpionfish, Pontinus nigerimum Eschmeyer, 1983 from Andaman Waters, Eastern Indian Ocean. Thalassas: An International Journal of Marine Sciences, 38(1), pp.29-33
- Ajina, S. M., Gladston, Y., Kirubasankar, R., Kumar, P. A., Roy, S. D., & Jaiswar, A. K. (2026). Food and feeding dynamics of the checkered snapper Lutjanus decussatus (Cuvier, 1828) in the reef ecosystems of Andaman Islands, India. Indian Journal of Fisheries, 73(2), 28-36.
- Gladston, Y., Mary, A. S., Karangothi, S. H., & Xavier, K. A. (2026). Anthropogenic marine litter in unique mangrove ecosystem of remotely isolated oceanic atoll, Minicoy, Lakshadweep archipelago, India. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 198(4), 384.
- Gladston, Y., Xavier, K.M., Ajina, S.M., Ravi, O.P.K., Devi, M.S., Chakraborty, S.K. and Shenoy, L., 2018. Operational performance and catch composition of pomfret gillnets of Maharashtra, India. Regional Studies in Marine Science, 22, pp.31-37.
