Port Blair (Sri Vijay Puram): In a major push to turn the Islands’ vast marine resources into sustainable livelihood opportunities, ICAR-Central Island Agricultural Research Institute (ICAR-CIARI) has joined hands with a local fisheries Self Help Group to promote scientific marine fish cage culture at North Bay. ICAR-CIARI, Sri Vijaya Puram, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Island Fisheries and Marine Services SHG on August 31, 2026, for demonstration, promotion and technical support for cage-based marine fish farming.
The initiative aims to encourage local fishers and SHG members to adopt scientific mariculture practices and develop cage farming as a viable alternative and supplementary source of income.
Dr. Jai Sundar, Director, ICAR-CIARI, outlined the areas of collaboration and encouraged the SHG to consider evolving into a cooperative society to expand its operations and ensure long-term sustainability.
Dr. M. Muruganandam, Head of the Fisheries Science Division, said the partnership would combine scientific expertise with the experience and entrepreneurial potential of local stakeholders to establish a practical model for successful marine cage farming in the Islands. Under the collaboration, ICAR-CIARI will provide technical guidance for the culture of Asian seabass (Lates calcarifer) in HDPE circular sea cages developed under the All India Network Project on Mariculture.
The institute will extend support in cage installation and management, water quality monitoring, seed quality, stocking and feeding practices, fish health and disease surveillance, biosecurity, and monitoring of fish growth and survival.
Scientists also discussed the possibility of local production of floating fish feed to reduce transportation costs and improve the profitability of marine fish farming. Strengthening fish disease surveillance and preventive healthcare was identified as another key area of focus.
The Island Fisheries and Marine Services SHG, comprising 10 active members, has already installed four GI cages and demonstrated a strong commitment towards developing cage farming as a sustainable livelihood activity. The partnership is expected to strengthen technology transfer, capacity building and entrepreneurship while generating valuable field-level data on the economics and sustainability of marine cage culture under island conditions.
The MoU was signed by Dr. Jai Sundar on behalf of ICAR-CIARI and Mahadev Mallick, Secretary, and Parsuram Mohanty, Member, on behalf of the SHG. With science now joining hands with island fishers, the waters around North Bay could well become a testing ground for a new and sustainable chapter in the Islands’ blue economy.
