ICAR-CMFRI Celebrates 78th Foundation Day with 3-day Fish Fest and Open House Exhibition
The ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), Kochi celebrated its 78 th Foundation Day with a vibrant three-day Fish Festival and Open House exhibition held from 1 st to 3 rd February 2025.
The Fish Fest featured seafood fest, technology exhibition, buyer-seller meet, workshops and training sessions. Latest advancements in the fisheries sector developed by various research institutes were showcased at the technology exhibition. An array of local delicacies of green mussel, oyster, octopus and various fish and shrimp dishes were the highlight of the seafood fest. A Buyer-Seller Meet of locally produced authentic farm fresh items was held with an aim of connecting farmers directly with consumers under the leadership of Ernakulam Krishi Vigyan Kendra of ICAR-CMFRI. The event witnessed a huge turnout of public helping them to familiarise authentic farm products of organic origin.This helped over 20 Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) secure business deals for their products. The Fest Festival also promoted women empowerment with the event offering a good opportunity for many women SHGs to showcase their products such as bamboo craft, home-made sweets and their seafood delicacies. Farming inputs including nets were distributed to farmer SHGs belonging to the SC community under the Scheduled Caste Sub Plan (SCSP) scheme of ICAR-CMFRI.
Open House Exhibition
The Open House Exhibition held on 3 rd February offered a fascinating glimpse into the wonders of marine life, with conservation efforts of marine mammals and other endangered species getting particular attention. The exhibition turned out to be a powerful visual aid to create public awareness of conservation, marine pollution, climate change impact, ecosystem degradation etc. ICAR-CMFRI’s National Marine Biodiversity Museum that housed 2856 specimens, laboratories, marine aquarium, library, hatcheries, BSF-based waste management unit, agricultural technology centre and various other facilities were open to the public at the open house exhibition. Large number of students flocked to the institute to watch a ringside view of diverse marine life, including fishes, molluscs, algae, sea snakes, crustaceans, precious pearls and shell jewellery. Display of massive whale skeleton became the centre of attraction at the event. An art installation depicting ocean strata highlighted the threat of plastic pollutions to the marine ecosystem.
78th Foundation Day Celebrations at Mandapam
The 78th Foundation Day of ICAR – Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) was celebrated at the Mandapam Regional Centre on 3rd February, 2025 by organizing ‘Open House’ for the benefit of students and general public. The event was inaugurated by Shri. R. John, Principal In-charge, PM Shri Kendriya Vidyalaya, Mandapam, Shri. Ravichandran, Headmaster, Panchayat Union Primary School, Marakayarpattinam in the presence of Dr. Vinod, K., Principal Scientist & Head and staff of the Centre. More than 1950 students and 250 public representing three districts viz., Ramanathapuram, Sivagangai & Virudhunagar participated in the programme. They visited the Marine Aquarium, Marine Biodiversity Museum, Maine Fish Hatchery, Seaweed Plantlet Production Unit, National Marine Fish Broodbank and observed the display of research activities taken up at the centre. Scientists and staff of Mandapam Regional Centre of ICAR-CMFRI exhibited and explained the visitors about the on-going research activities and salient achievements. A student-scientists’ interaction meeting was conducted to create awareness for 9th standard students on marine biodiversity conservation & motivation-career guidance was also given for 11th standard students. A total of 250 students were benefitted through the interaction programme.
78th Foundation Day Celebrations at Tuticorin
ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute is the premier nodal research organization conducting research on various aspects of Marine Fisheries in India. ICAR-CMFRI with its Head Quarters situated at Kochi, in Kerala has four Regional Centres and seven Regional Stations and two Krishi Vigyan Kendra situated all along the East and West coast of India catering to the needs of all the Maritime States of India in Marine Fisheries Sector.
ICAR-Tuticorin Regional Station of CMFRI situated in South Beach Road, Tuticorin (Near Roche Park) is one of its foremost and renowned regional station in Tamil Nadu founded in 1948 as a Survey Centre and grew to its current status of Regional Station is known Nationally and Internationally for its contribution to Marine Fisheries Research of India. ICAR-TRS of CMFRI conducts research in various aspects such as Fishery Resource Assessment, Environmental monitoring, Mariculture, Biodiversity and Socio Economics studies of fisher folks of this coast. The Station is known for developing hatchery technologies for seed production of bivalves; sea cucumber and marine ornamental gastropods. It also has developed farming technology, culture pearl production technology and tissue culture of marine pearls. The Station also has propagated the open sea cage culture of selected marine fin and shell fish species.
In the 78th Foundation day celebration on 03.02.2025, the Station has conducted “Open House 2025” and kept open its research laboratories and other facilities to the public. The function was inaugurated at 10.00 AM by the Dr. Loveson Edward L Senior Scientist & Scientist-in-Charge, of ICAR-TRS of CMFRI, Thoothukudi, in the presence of Scientists, staff of TRS of CMFRI, School teachers and students from various schools of Thoothukudi district.
The Researchers & Students from various schools and colleges and general public visited all the laboratories, museum, hatcheries, aquarium and video show arranged at the Conference Hall of the centre. The total number of visitors including the students and other public were more than 1500 numbers (includes school and college students from 15 institution and 100 number of public). All the Scientists explained various activities being carried out by them to the students and public. The programme was covered very well by the print and electronic media.
78th Foundation Day Celebration at Visakhapatnam
Visakhapatnam, 3rd February 2025: The ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), Visakhapatnam, celebrated its 78th Foundation Day with great enthusiasm and participation from dignitaries, students, researchers, and the general public. The event was inaugurated by the Chief Guest, Dr. James S. K. Adams, M.D., Dr. Agarwal's Health Care, Visakhapatnam, and attended by heads of various fisheries institutes, representatives from FSI, MPEDA, NIFPHATT, ICFRE, Andhra University, NIO, VPT, Department of Fisheries, CIFT etc.
The Foundation Day celebrations witnessed an overwhelming response, with around 1,000 students from 6 schools and research scholars from Andhra University visiting the center. The young minds were captivated by the institute’s research activities and the Marine Museum, which houses over 250 specimens and live fish, including the Golden Trevally, Orange-spotted Grouper, and Indian Pompano along with their babies. The exhibits on artificial reefs and marine biodiversity were major crowd-pullers, drawing awe and curiosity from the visitors.
Located at the picturesque Ramkrishna Beach, the ICAR-CMFRI Regional Centre has been a cornerstone in supporting aqua farmers, fish culturists, and marine fishers in the region for decades. The Foundation Day event highlighted the institute’s commitment to marine fisheries research and conservation, while also engaging the community through interactive sessions and educational activities.
Students and visitors were particularly fascinated by the unseen world of marine fisheries, eagerly asking questions about various aspects of marine life. Dr. Joe K. Kizhakudan, Head of the Regional Centre, along with a team of scientists, spearheaded the event, explaining the importance of marine life and inspiring young minds to explore the field of marine research.
The day-long program included:
- Display and Interpretation of marine biodiversity and research achievements.
- Scientist Interactions, where researchers answered queries from students and visitors.
- A Creative Marine Life Art Painting Contest, featuring 30 unique marine life art forms created by scientists.
- Distribution of educational handouts and mementos to participants.
The 78th Foundation Day of ICAR-CMFRI, Visakhapatnam, not only celebrated the institute’s legacy but also ignited a passion for marine conservation among the younger generation, reinforcing the importance of preserving our marine ecosystems for the future.
78 th Foundation Day Celebration at Karvar
The ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Karwar Regional Station, proudly celebrated its 78 th Foundation Day on 3 rd February 2025 with great enthusiasm. On this momentous occasion, Dr.Shivakumar Haragi, Chairman of the Department of Studies in Marine Biology, Post Graduate Centre, Karnataka University, Karwar, Karnataka inaugurated the Open House and the accompanying exhibition.
In his address, Dr.Haragi emphasized that unscientific fishing practices and climate change are increasingly impacting India's marine fisheries. He stressed the urgent need for the conservation of marine fish resources to ensure healthy stock levels and promote sustainable fisheries, aligning with the Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG-14). He also commended ICAR-CMFRI for its groundbreaking research in isolating nutraceutical compounds from seaweed and green mussels, which have made remarkable contributions to the field of medicine at the national level.
The Guest of Honour, Dr.Hanumanth, Assistant Professor in the Department of Commerce at Karnataka University’s Post Graduate Centre in Karwar, highlighted the significant role of marine product exports in boosting India's blue economy.
The event featured an impressive display of commercially important marine finfish and shellfish species of Uttara Kannada & Goa coast, along with the centre’s successful breeding and rearing achievements of selected marine food fishes. The larvae-to-sub-adult rearing of Rabbit fish, Goldsilk Seabream, and Fanged Seabream was showcased. The marine fish & mariculture museums, the fish health and biotechnology and fish biology laboratories were opened to students & researchers.
Also, fish feed and various nutraceutical products developed by ICAR-CMFRI were prominently exhibited providing an enriching experience for Academicians, students, researchers and the general public. Additionally, the Station organized live fish sale of hatchery & farm produced high value marine food fishes including Asian Seabass, Rabbit fish, Silver Pompano and Goldsilk Seabream.
