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Thursday / April 24. 2025

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HomePosts Tagged "ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources"
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ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources, through its Scheduled Caste Sub Plan (SCSP) project, launched Mission Navshakti 2.0, a transformative initiative focused on empowering rural women

Dr U.K. Sarkar, Director, ICAR-NBFGR, emphasized the transformative power of grassroots interventions.

Mission Navshakti 2.0 began with a pilot project in Dhankutti village, Barabanki, in February 2024, where women started cultivating and selling ornamental fish. Encouraged by its success, the model was expanded to KVK Katia, Sitapur, and later KVK Unnao. In Unnao, an interactive session on 10th January 2025 identified challenges and aspirations, followed by hands-on training on aquarium fabrication and fish farming on 16th and 17th January. Women from Dhankutti shared their success stories, showing how these interventions empowered them to rear fish in their backyards. The programme’s success highlights how small-scale initiatives can create significant social and economic impact.

Supported by partnerships with Aquaworld and Hi-Tech Fish Farming, the project uses a hub-and-spoke model to localize production and reduce dependency on external markets. Women were provided with startup kits, including solar lights and aquarium accessories.

The initiative trained 325 women, promoting resilience, community bonds, and leadership roles among rural women. By integrating traditional knowledge with modern techniques, Mission Navshakti 2.0 fosters economic independence and social empowerment, laying the foundation for a more inclusive future for rural women in India.

The project engaged 51 women from 13 self-help groups (SHGs) across eight villages in Unnao, including Dohra, Chiraiya, Mithepur, and others. These SHGs, such as Nari Shakti and Jai Ambe, are becoming hubs of entrepreneurial activity.

ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources, through

Acquaculture

Researchers from the ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources have identified a new yellow catfish species, Horabagrus Obscurus, in Kerala’s Chalakudy River

Researchers from the ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources have identified a new yellow catfish species, Horabagrus Obscurus, in Kerala’s Chalakudy River. Characterized by its greenish-brown mottled coloration, shorter barbels, and distinct genetic traits, the species coexists with the endangered Horabagrus Nigricollaris. This discovery, led by ICAR-NBFGR’s Centre for Peninsular Aquatic Genetics Resources and published in the Indian Journal of Fisheries, highlights the rich biodiversity of the Western Ghats.

Dr U.K. Sarkar, Director, ICAR-NBFGR, described the discovery as a significant achievement in protecting India’s aquatic resources. He highlighted the importance of conserving Horabagrus obscurus through initiatives like captive breeding and habitat restoration, calling it a vital step towards preserving the delicate ecosystems of the Western Ghats.

Researchers from the ICAR-National Bureau of Fish

Acquaculture, Agri Genomics, Agro Universities, India, Live Stock, R&D

The current genomic information provides a valuable resource for identifying and discovering genes and variants associated with economically important traits of this fish.

The whole genome of the Indian major carp, Cirrhinus mrigala, commonly known as mrigal, has been sequenced and assembled by scientists of ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources, Lucknow. The fish plays a crucial role in the carp-dominated aquaculture system and is the third most important species among the major Indian carps.

The assembled whole genome of the fish is 1.057 Gb in size, consisting of 940 scaffolds with an N50 of 37.32 Mb. Benchmarking with BUSCO determined the genome to be 98.00 per cent complete.

The characterization of the assembled highly revealed 39,091 genes was functionally annotated, which included 8,428 hypothetical and 1,688 uncharacterized. The study investigated Hox gene clusters, identifying 38 Hox genes distributed in seven clusters. The research findings are published in Scientific Data journal, published by Nature group of journals. 

The current genomic information provides a valuable resource for identifying and discovering genes and variants associated with economically important traits of this fish. These resources pave the way for implementing genomic selection programs in aquaculture and fisheries, which will play a crucial role in enhancing the genetic improvement of farmed fish for sustainable production.

The Genome Sequencing Project at ICAR-NBFGR is directed by Dr Vindhya Mohindra, funded by ICAR-Consortium Research Platform on Genomics, and coordinated by Dr Joykrushna Jena, Deputy Director General (Fisheries Science) ICAR.

The current genomic information provides a valuable

Acquaculture, Agro Universities, India, Live Stock, R&D

The MoU focused on facilitating visits for solving taxonomic ambiguities/enigmatic aquatic species through morphological and molecular approaches for their taxonomic resolutions.

ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources, Lucknow, organised a “Memorandum of Understanding Signing Ceremony” between ICAR-NBFGR and the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) on at ICAR-NBFGR.

The MoU focused on sharing expertise and facilitating visits for solving taxonomic ambiguities/enigmatic aquatic species through morphological and molecular approaches for their taxonomic resolutions, facilitating knowledge exchange using the databases, studies on population genetics for critically endangered aquatic species, and barcoding of ‘State-fishes’ and fishes of Ramsar sites, etc. in aligning with national priorities, keeping the Sustainable Development Goals into account.

On this occasion, Dr Dhriti Banerjee, Director, ZSI inaugurated the ZSI section in the ICAR-NBFGR’s National Fish Museum & Repository and released fish seeds into the pond.

Dr Banerjee highlighted the need for the formation of a working group for the documentation and vulnerability assessment of fishes in the country. Dr. Uttam Kumar Sarkar, Director, ICAR-NBFGR, emphasised on the association of scientific research for understanding the life below waters.

Dr. C. Raghunathan, Additional Director, ZSI and Scientists from both organisations participated in the programme.

The MoU focused on facilitating visits for