An Industry Meet, organized by ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (ICAR-CIFT), Cochin, took place in Mumbai, focusing on “Circular Bioeconomy: Extracting Value from Fish Waste.”
The event was widely represented by scientific experts, researchers, and industry personnel. Dr. George Ninan, Director of ICAR-CIFT, outlined the Institute's efforts toward zero-waste fish processing.
Dr. Asha K. K., Principal Scientist and Scientist in Charge, MRC, ICAR-CIFT, welcomed the audience.
Dr. Geethalekshmi V., Principal Scientist, Fisheries Extension Information and Statistics Division, ICAR-CIFT, Cochin, and Nodal Officer, Swachhata Action Plan, Government of India, highlighted the agenda of the programme in her opening remarks.
In his presidential address, Dr. George Ninan emphasized the potential of ICAR-CIFT technologies in addressing waste management challenges in the fisheries harvest and post-harvest sector.
The chief guest, Miguel Jose Rodrigues, Managing Director of M/s Joecons Marine Pvt. Ltd, Goa, elaborated on the requirements of the fisheries sector and the need for scientific interventions in waste management. He stressed the importance of hygiene and sanitation onboard to ensure food safety.
Dr. V. Venkatesan, Principal Scientist, MRC of ICAR-CMFRI, and Shri Subray Pawar, Assistant Director, Mumbai Regional Division of MPEDA, offered felicitations during the programme. Dr. Gaurav shared his success story in the agri-industry, while Dr. Venkatesan highlighted the importance of Minimum Legal Size (MLS) of fishing gear to reduce fish bycatch and discards.
Dr. L. N. Murthy, Principal Scientist, discussed the collaboration between fish processing industries and ICAR-CIFT and presented a Strategic Policy Framework and Industrial Approaches for Valorizing Fish Waste.
Key industry partners contributing to the deliberations included: Dr. Gaurav Singh, Director, Wealthy Crop Science Pvt Ltd Shri Abhishek Kumar Singh, Athos Collagen, Surat Sri Amey Naik, Longshore Technologies, Raigad, Shri Kamlesh Parab, Omega Fish Meal and Oil Pvt. Ltd., Ratnagiri
These industry leaders have built their businesses around utilizing fishery post-harvest discards.
During the programme, products and technologies developed by MRC, ICAR-CIFT, were released, including: Ulvan gelatin scaffolds for biomedical applications Sooka soda, a traditional delicacy made from prawn Biodegradable crab traps (BIOD-TRAP) to reduce marine plastic waste Recycled products from marine waste
A panel discussion featured 25 industry representatives from the fish processing sector in the Mumbai region, who engaged with experts to explore practical fish waste management strategies.
