ICAR-Directorate of Coldwater Fisheries Research, Bhimtalis the only premier research institute in the country working towards sustainable development of coldwateraquaculture, management, and conservation of the hill stream fishes. It has been in the service of the nation since 1987 under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi.Coldwater fisheries have immense prospects in creating livelihood opportunities for the rural dwelling in Indian Himalayan states and Union territory.
The need for holistic and sustainable utilization of the coldwater fishery resources, their development and advancement have been the driving force to work for thecoldwater sector. ICAR-DCFRhas been continuously on forefront in providing practical solutionsbyway of conducting quality research, extending services for sustainable coldwater fisheries production, management, conservation, and eco-tourism to realize and ensure the potentials of livelihood opportunities among upland populations.
Directorate has made advancements in generating GIS-based site suitability maps, protocols for captive breeding and rearing of different coldwater fish species to diversify hill aquaculture and develop efficient and cost-effective feeds. For the development of hill aquaculture, captive maturation and spawning of many species have been completed successfully. The validation for the development and commercialization of rainbow trout starter feed has been completed. The issues and challenges of coldwater fish diseases are proactively being addressed by putting sincere efforts into disease surveillance of coldwater fish farms, identifying pathogens, and developing management measures. The directorate also organizes various training programmes, field demonstrations, farmer advisories and exhibitions to disseminate scientific knowledge on various aspects of coldwater fisheries and aquaculture to farmers, fisheries officers and other concerned stakeholders. Under tribal sub-plan activity, rainbow trout farming is being promoted as a remunerative livelihood option. Unde the scheme, the directorate provides infrastructure and critical inputs to adopted tribal farmers, and several programmesare organized in the state ofJ& K, Himachal, Laddakh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Meghalaya and Nagaland to establish trout, mahseer and carp farming.
The directorate firmly believe in strengthening linkages with other ICAR research institutes, fisheries departments of hill states, agricultural universities, KVKs, non-governmental organisations and central agencies such as the National Fisheries Development Board and Department of Biotechnology for promoting research, extension and capacity building. The directorate has made linkages through MoUs with Universities, state fishery departments and other institutions for academic and collaborative research of students at master and Ph. D. level.
Due to COVID 19 pandemic, we need to overcome the associated challenges in the coldwater fisheries sector with appropriate and innovative actions. Let me assure all the stakeholders that we will not leave any stone unturned to take the sector to greater heights.
Dr. Pramod Kumar Pandey
Director Email: director.dcfr@icar.gov.in
20/05/2021
