Cyttopsis indica:
The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) in Kochi in Kerala recently discovered a new deep-sea fish named Cyttopsis indica from the Arabian Sea off southern Kerala.
- Cyttopsis indica is a new species of deep-sea fish.
- It was discovered from the Arabian Sea off southern Kerala.
- It belongs to the genus Cyttopsis, a primitive group of marine fishes commonly known as “dories.”
- Cyttopsis indica has been given the common name Indian Dory.
- It can survive under immense pressure by storing high levels of waxy compounds in their bodies, making some of them unsuitable for direct human consumption.
Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI):
- It was established by the Government of India on February 3rd 1947 under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
- It later became a member of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) family in 1967.
- The headquarters was shifted from Mandapam Camp in Tamil Nadu to Kochi in Kerala in 1971.
- Over the years CMFRI has emerged as a leading tropical marine fisheries research institute in the world.
- Mandate
- To monitor the exploitation and assess the under-exploitation of the marine fisheries resources of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
- To understand the fluctuations in abundance of marine fisheries resources in relation to change in the environment.
- To develop suitable mariculture technologies for finfish, shellfish and other culturable organisms in open seas to supplement capture fishery production.
- To act as a repository of information on marine fishery resources with a systematic database.
- To conduct transfer of technology, post graduate and specialized training, education and extension education programmes.
- To provide consultancy services.
