Focus of Research :
- Fish Taxonomy
- Fishery biology of selected demersal groups.
- Stock assessment and fisheries management
- Marine Fish Taxonomy
- Fishery Biology
- Stock Assessment
- Conservation
- Sustainability
- Ecosystem Management
My commitment to understanding and conserving marine biodiversity drives my work at CMFRI and beyond.
Background :
With a Master's in Mariculture and a PhD in Flatfish Taxonomy, I have been a dedicated member of CMFRI since 1996. My early research focused on the biology and taxonomy of various demersal fish groups. Today, my work integrates ecomorphology to examine the effects of climate change on fisheries and validates the impact of bycatch on Indian fishery resources. My areas of expertise -
- Groupers, Snappers, Rays, and Flatfishes: Specialized research and extensive study.
- Reef Fish Distribution: Conducted comprehensive research along the Indian coasts.
As a member of the IUCN Commission, specifically the Specialist Groups on Groupers & Wrasses and Snappers & Breams, I am actively involved in the species revalidation process.
Education :
- PhD 2012 Zoology, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala
- MSc 1993 Mariculture, Cochin University of Science and Technology
- BSc 1991 Zoology, University of Kerala
Current Research Projects :
| No | Title | Funded By |
| 1 | Development of Fishery Management Plans for sustaining Marine Fisheries of Kerala and Lakshadweep | CMFRI |
| 2 | Assessment of the elasmobranch resources in the Indian seas | CMFRI |
| 3 | Resources Assessment & Barcoding of Elasmobranchs | MoES |
| 4 | National Initiative on Climate Resilient Agriculture | ICAR |
Awards & Recognitions :
Served as Demersal Fish Expert to the IUCNRevalidation Team for 2019 from India
- Commission Member, Species Specialist Group on Grouperand Wrasse (IUCN) for the period 2012- as on date
- Commission Member, Species Specialist Group onSnapper, Seabream & Grunt (IUCN) for the period 2017- as on date
- Won best paper in the Climate Change Session forthe paper” Distributional shift of pelagics Indian oil sardine and Indianmackeral towards Northern Indian Ocean: a climate change induced scenario?”at 2nd International Conference on Ecosystem Conservation and SustainableDevelopment (ECOCASD), 3 to 5 October 2013, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India
- Secretary, Marine Biological Association of India,Kochi
- Best Research Paper in Akhil Bharatiya HindhitharBashi Vishesh Sthan.
Publications:
- Ben-Hasan, Abdulrahman and Sadovy deMitcheson, Yvonne J and Cisneros-Mata, Miguel A and Jimenez,Erica Antunes and Daliri, Moslem and Cisneros-Montemayor,Andr´es M and Nair, Rekha J and Sangeetha, A T and Walters,C J and Christensen, Villy (2021) China’s fish maw demand and itsimplications for fisheries in source countries.MarinePolicy. pp. 1-11.
- Nair, Rekha J and Munroe, T A and Weerts,S P (2020) Cynoglossusmacrostomus, Malabar Tonguesole.The IUCN Red List ofThreatened Species 2020. ISSN 2307-8235 (online)
- Nair, Rekha J and Mahesh, V and RatheeshKumar, R and Sangeetha, A T and Vishnupriya, K M (2022) ICAR sponsored Winter School onRecent development in taxonomic techniques of marine fishes for conservationand sustainable fisheries management: Training Manual.Manual.ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi.
- Bullock, R, Ralph, Gina M, Stump,E, Al Abdali, F. Al Asfoor, J Al Buwaiqi, B AlKindi, A Ambuali, A Birge, T Borsa, P DiDario, F Everett, B Fennessy, S Fonseca, C and Gorman,C and Govender, A and Ho, Hsuan-Ching and Holleman,W and Jiddawi, N and Khan, M and Larson, H and Linardich,Christi and Matiku, P and Matsuura, K and Maunde,C and Motomura, H and Munroe, T A and Nair, RekhaJ and Obota, C and Polidoro, B and Russell, B and Shaheen,S and Sithole, Y and Smith-Vaniz, W F and Uiblein,F and Weerts, S P and Williams, A and Yahya, S and Carpenter,K (2021) Conservationstatus of marine biodiversity of the Western Indian Ocean.Other.IUCN: International Union for Conservation of Nature, Switzerland.
- Nair, Rekha J and Kuriakose, Somy (2014) Field Guide on Reef Associated Fishesof India.CMFRI Special Publication (117). Central MarineFisheries Research Institute, Kochi.
Best 5 Publications :
