Centre for Marine Living Resources and Ecology (CMLRE)
ATAL BHAVAN, Ministry of Earth Sciences
Government of India
LNG Road. Puthu Vypin South,
Ochanthuruthu PO,
Kochi-682508
Kerala
Head of organization: Dr. G. V. M. Gupta
For organizing, coordinating and promoting ocean research and development activities in the country which inter-alia include mapping of the living resources, preparing an inventory of commercially exploitable living marine resources, their optimum utilization through ecosystem management and R&D in basic sciences on Marine Living Resources and Ecology.
The Marine Living Resources (MLR) Programme envisages survey, assessment, and exploitation of the MLR and studies on the response of MLR to changes in the physical environment with the objective of developing an ecosystem model for the management of the living resources in the Indian EEZ.
The Fishery Oceanographic Research Vessel (FORV) Sagar Sampada is fully utilized for these studies with the support of Vessel Management Cell (VMC). Earlier plan projects include MLR surveys in the EEZ focus on deep sea fishery, Tuna-resources, harmful algal blooms, bioluminescent planktons, marine mammals, environment and the productivity patterns. These efforts are complimented through allied activities under MLR namely studies on benthos of the continental slope area, studies on biodiversity of planktons in Andaman sea, studies on the near-shore dynamics with special reference to upwelling and mud-banks, application-oriented R&D on production of pearls from the black-lip pearl oyster, development of antifouling compounds from the marine organisms, modelling efforts and maintenance of a Data & Referral Centre on FORV collections. Ongoing continuing activities with in-house component only during 2017-20 with a view to strengthening our scientific capability and build the infrastructure in the CMLRE upcoming new campus. The scope mentioned above is proposed to be addressed by restructuring the 12thplan activities based on the IRC recommendations into the following two projects will be carried out during 2017-20,
- Marine Ecosystem Dynamics of the eastern Arabian Sea (MEDAS)
- Resource Exploration and Inventorization System (REIS)