CMFRI to prepare draft mariculture policy

India's largest marine fisheries research body, CMFRI is formulating a comprehensive mariculture policy to address the ever increasing demand for quality seafood for human consumption and to some extent, bridge the gap between demand and supply in marine fish production.
The city-based Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) functioning under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) said it has geared up to formulate a draft mariculture policy to be submitted to the government.
Scientists working in the sector believe that mariculture is the hope of future generation to meet the growing demand in food industry.
Unfortunately, the lack of a proper mariculture policy is a major lacuna in the country, they said.

CMFRI officials said the institute has already developed economically viable open sea cage farming models to boost the mariculture activities in the country.
Round the year seed production of cobia, silver pompano and orange spotted grouper (commercially important fish species) was also achieved by the CMFRI, they noted.

"At a time when capture fisheries production is undergoing through a stagnation period, the mariculture can be considered as the only option to meet the ever increasing demand for the marine food products," Director of CMFRI, A Gopalakrishnan said.
He said mariculture can be considered as one of the best alternate livelihood options for the coastal fishermen community.

"Lack of a suitable mariculture policy in the country is a major hindrance to the commercialization of the marticulture practices in India.
The CMFRI is in the process of framing the policy," he said.
The scientist said the institute will intensify the work on demarcation of potential mariculture sites along Indian coasts on a GIS platform, helping to prepare an adequate national policy for the development of mariculture activities in India.
"A long-term view of sustainable coastal and open-sea mariculture should be envisaged and appropriate measures must be taken in view of the long coastline of the country, which has a high population density and very high potential with its tropical waters for increasing aquaculture production, employment generation and improving overall socio-economic status of coastal communities," he said.