India identifies 146 potential sea farming sites along its coastline

Aimed at empowering the coastal population through additional livelihood options, the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) has envisaged plans to boost mariculture activities across the coastal states of the country. Announcing the plan at the launch of a 21-day Winter School on mariculture for researchers and academicians at the CMFRI, director Dr A Gopalakrishnan said: “CMFRI has identified and geo-referenced 146 potential sites for sea cage farming within 10 km in the sea from the coast along the Indian coastline, with a production potential of 2.13 million tonnes per year. In these, four sites from Kerala in an area of nearly 1300 hectares.” Earlier, the institute had identified 342 potential sites for seaweed farming with a production potential of 9.7 million tonnes (wet weight) in a year. “CMFRI has developed and standardised indigenous sea cage farming technology suitable to Indian coastal and open waters. On average, up to 3 tonnes of fish could be ...