The ICAR-Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture (ICAR-CIFA) is a premier Institute in freshwater aquaculture in India under the administrative control of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi. The present Institute has had its beginnings in the Pond Culture Division of the Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute (CIFRI), Barrackpore, West Bengal and was established at Cuttack, Odisha in 1949. It blossomed into an independent institute on 1st April 1987 as the Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture.
Mission
Excellence in research for developing sustainable and diversified freshwater aquaculture practices for enhanced productivity, quality, water use efficiency and farm income.
Vision
Making Indian freshwater aquaculture globally competitive through eco-friendly and economically viable fish production systems for livelihood and nutritional security
Mandate
- Basic and strategic research for the development of sustainable culture systems for freshwater finfish and shellfish.
- Species and systems diversification in freshwater aquaculture.
- Human Resource Development through training, education and extension.
Facilities
- 147 ha campus with 50 ha water spread area having 350 nos. assorted sizes of experimental ponds, wet laboratories and disease challenge facilities
- Three carp hatcheries with production capacity of over 50 million spawn along with hatcheries for catfishes, tilapia, anabas, murrel and freshwater prawns.
- The institute also has a modernized feed mill, facilities for running water fish culture, sewage-fed fish culture, integrated fish farming as well as a public aquarium, Agri-business Incubation Centre etc.
- Dr. Hiralal Chaudhuri library of ICAR-CIFA houses over 7014 books/monographs, 2900 back volume journals and also at present subscribes 101 journals including 37 peer reviewed international journals.
- Krishi Vigyan Kendra for the district, Khordha is operating in this Institute to demonstrate agriculture related technologies to the farming community.
- Other infrastructure facilities include 122 staff quarters of different categories, Dispensary, Guest Houses, Trainees’ Hostel, Canteen, Conference Hall, Auditorium, Staff Recreation Club, Children park, Post-office and Bank.
Technology Packages
- Packages of practices for breeding and grow-out culture technologies for carps, barbs, catfishes, murrel, Anabas and freshwater prawn of more than 20 species and development of breeding protocol of small indigenous fish species like Pabda, M. gulio, C.reba, Pengba, Rita chrysea, etc.
- Production of improved rohu ‘Jayanti’, with average realized response of 18 % per generation after nine generations and improved catla (completed 2nd generation) through selective breeding.
- Production of improved giant freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii, with average realized response of 4 % per generation.
- Production of third generation of aeromoniasis - resistant rohu (Labeo rohita) with selection response of 58.3%.
- Initial success of breeding of Hilsa (Tenualosa ilisha) by dry stripping method.
- Breeding and culture of ornamental fishes including indigenous species and a new variety "Shining barb".
Products
- Nutrient requirements of commercially important freshwater fish viz. carp, catfish and prawn led to the development of generic feeds for the different life stages of these fish.
- Development of immunological and molecular diagnostics for important freshwater pathogens and transboundary diseases, formulations to control infections in fish ponds, CIFAX for Epizootic Ulcerative Syndrome, lmmnoboost-C for healthy seed production, CIFACURE for microbial infections in the health management sector.
- Commercialized eleven important aquaculture technologies (health care products viz., CIFAX, lmmunoboost-C, CIFACURE; FRP carp and magur hatcheries; fish diets viz., CIFACA, CIFAMA, CIFAPRA, CIFAB• ROOD; CIFACryo for cryopreservation) for the development of the sector.
- 11 patents, 3 trademarks, 3 designs and 28 copyrights have obtained so far
