Aquaculture: New Possibilities and Concerns

P. Jayasankar Born on 8th October 1959, Dr. P. Jayasankar took his doctoral degree in fish reproduction.  Selected as Agricultural Research Scientist (Indian Council of Agricultural Research) in 1986, he has worked for 21 years in Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) and is presently head of Fish Genetics and Biotechnology Division and principal Scientist at Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture (CIFA), Kausalyaganga, Bhubaneswar.Current areas of research include Phenotypic/ genotypic stock structure analysis, evaluation of genetic heterogeneity and molecular taxonomy/ DNA barcoding (fish, shellfish and cetaceans), genetic linkage mapping & QTL and transgenic in ornamental fish.

Dr. V.R.P. Sinha has been involved in fisheries research and development for the last four decades and his contributions are well known world over. He did his Ph.D. from the University of Liverpool, U.K. in 1965. The correct identification of sex in the European eels and clarification of the confusion of their sex change were his most notable contributions. he also hypothesized that the Sargasso Sea is the emerging ground of leptocephali and not the breeding ground of the European eels. In Malaysia, he fractionated fish pituitary gonadotropin in 1969 and established that gonadal hydration was a prerequisite for spawning of Asiatic major carp. he returned to India in 1971 to provide a very successful leadership in aquaculture research and development and played a very crucial role in revolutionizing freshwater aquaculture through Composite Culture of carp in India, for which he has been honored with many awards and fellowships. Dr Sinha has the distinction to be associated with the establishment of many fisheries institutions in India and abroad. He established the Trainers 'Training Center, the Krishi Vigyan Kendra in 1977 and the Central Institute of Fershwater Aquaculture (CIFA), Mumbai, India, upgraded to the Deemed University in 1989. He established the Lead Center on Carp farming at CIFA under the Network of Aquaculture Centers in Asia (NACA) to train Senior Aqualturists from Asia. His consulting assignments with the World Bank, United Nations, FAO, WFP, EEC, and many other international agencies gave his the opportunity to play a crucial role in fisheries institution building and strengthening in different countries of Asia, Africa and Europe. He worked in the FAO of the UN as a Senior Aquaculturist (Research and Training) of NACA at Bangkok, Thailand and also as a Senior Specialist (Research Planning and Management) in Bangladesh. He has been honored with the Congress of Zoology Gold Medal (1995, Ashirwad Award (1992), Great Son of the Soil award (1991), Lal bahadur Shastri Award (1989), ICAR team Leadership Award (1978), Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Memorial Prize (1976), Hooker Award (1975), for outstanding contribution in aquaculture research, extension and development in India. He has been elected as a Fellow of the National Agricultural Science Academy, New Delhi, the National Science Academy, Allabhabad, and the Indian National Science Academy, New Delhi. Dr. Sinha has over hundred of scientific contributions consisting of research papers and reports published on different aspects of fish biology, aquaculture and fisheries in different national and international journals in France, Germany, Hungary, India, Malaysia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, the UK and the USA. In addition to these, six books were published in the U.K. and in India.