Why is it in the News?

The golden trevally, a popular marine fish on Tamil Nadu’s coastline, has been successfully bred in captivity by scientists at ICAR-CMFRI’s Visakhapatnam station.

What is Golden trevally Fish?

• The Golden Trevally (Gnathanodon speciosus), also known as the Golden Kingfish or Banded Trevally, is a popular and fascinating marine fish species found in the Indo-Pacific and Eastern Pacific regions.
• It typically inhabits deep lagoons and seaward reefs, often in association with larger fish species.
• This fish is highly sought-after for both consumption and ornamental purposes due to its faster growth rates, good meat quality, and attractive appearance.
• According to fish landing observations in India, golden trevally are primarily landed at reef area fishing grounds in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala, Karnataka, and Gujarat.

About the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI):

• CMFRI was established in 1947 under India's Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
• It joined the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) in 1967.

The institute's primary objectives include:

• Monitoring exploited marine fisheries resources and assessing under-exploited resources within India's Exclusive Economic Zone.
• Understanding fluctuations in marine fisheries resources in response to environmental changes.
• Developing sustainable mariculture technologies for finfish, shellfish, and other organisms to supplement capture fishery production.
• The CMFRI's notable achievements include developing the "Stratified Multistage Random Sampling Method" for estimating fishery catch and effort along India's 8,000 km coastline.
• Headquartered in Kochi, Kerala, the institute continues to contribute significantly to the growth and development of India's marine fisheries sector.