The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute

The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute was established early in 1947 at Madras and was shifted to its present headquarters at Mandapam Camp in 1949. The primary function of the Institute has been to collect detailed information on various aspects of the biology and fishery of the commercially important living resources of the seas around Indiai$l,ik6 fishes, cruetaceans, molluscs, seaweeds etc. The aspects of study include the distribution, habits, life-histories, age and growth, reproduction, food, movements, abundance and the relation between organisms and their environment, such information being essential for scientific exploitation of resources to obtain maximum sustainable yields, at the same time maintaining the stocks at optimum level. As more than three-fourths of the marine fish catches are landed along the west coast of India, and as the regional fisheries and species contributing to them differ, the work of the institute is largely decentralized for a proper assessment of 'fish stocks and their rational utilization and is conducted at different sub-stations and units distributed along the coastline of India