The mysteries of deep sea fisheries were unravelled before hundreds of students from the city at the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute on Wednesday with the institute opening its doors to the public as part of its Foundation Day celebrations.
The open-house threw open the world of marine life, products, fishing gear, socio-economics, fish biology, marine bio-technology, mariculture and fishery environment-related research, development and technology to the public.
Students, both from schools and colleges in Kochi, came in large numbers. Students learned the facts about deep sea fish, surface fish, feeding and breeding habits, different kinds of gear, methods of fishing, socio-economics of the fisheries sector, issues related to fishing and environment and the new technologies in cage mariculture activities.
The museum was named ‘Wonderland’. More than 2,200 species of marine life, especially corals and pearls, were on display. Exhibits included specimen from oceanographic explorations from the Antarctic and various expeditions.
One of the stalls showcased the life of squids and mussels and the methods and techniques employed to capture them like squid jigging and gill-netting techniques. There was an exhibition of major commercial fishes at the Biology Laboratory where pelagic, demersal, molluscan and crustacean resources were displayed. The importance of keeping waterbodies free of pollution and debris was highlighted.
The aquarium and hatchery showcased various fishes, sea snake and eel. There was a demonstration of the breeding of ornamental fishes.
