Sri Vijaya Puram, Sept. 1: The ICAR-Central Island Agricultural Research Institute (ICAR-CIARI), Sri Vijayapuram, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Island Fisheries and Marine Services Self-Help Group (SHG) on 31st August, 2026 for the demonstration, promotion and technical support of marine fish cage culture at North Bay, South Andaman. The MoU aims to facilitate the field-level adoption of scientific mariculture practices and demonstrate the potential of cage-based farming as a viable and sustainable livelihood option for local fishers and SHG members.
Dr. Jai Sundar, Director, ICAR-CIARI, discussed the areas of collaboration envisaged under the MoU and encouraged the SHG to consider progressing towards a cooperative society to enhance the scale of operations, access to services and benefits, and long-term sustainability of the initiative.
Dr. M. Muruganandam, Head, Fisheries Science Division, ICAR-CIARI, highlighted that the collaboration would facilitate the convergence of scientific and technical expertise with the experience and entrepreneurship of field-level stakeholders. Dr. Kirubasankar, Senior Scientist, briefed the participants on suitable potential zones for cage farming and the important precautions and site-specific considerations required for safe and efficient cage culture. Dr. Praveenraj, Senior Scientist, Shri Chittaranjan Raul and Dr. Jess Maria Wilson, Scientists, highlighted ICAR-CIARI’s ongoing initiatives in fish health surveillance, disease monitoring and the development of marine fish farming through cage-based systems. These technical services will be extended to the SHG as part of the collaboration.
The MoU was signed by Dr. Jai Sundar on behalf of ICAR-CIARI and Shri Mahadev Mallick, Secretary and Shri Parsuram Mohanty, Member on behalf of the Island Fisheries and Marine Services SHG.
As part of the collaboration, the Fisheries Science Division of ICAR-CIARI will extend technical support and guidance covering the major components of cage-based marine fish farming.
The Island Fisheries and Marine Services SHG, comprising 10 active members, has already installed four GI cages for undertaking cage-based fish culture and has demonstrated strong commitment towards developing cage farming as a sustainable livelihood activity.