Blue Revolution 2.0 – Oceans of Opportunity: Dr Muruganandam

Dehradun, 22 November, 2025: On the occasion of World Fisheries Day (WFD) 2025, Dr. M. Muruganandam, Principal Scientist and Officer-in-Charge (PME & KM Unit), ICAR–Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation (ICAR-IISWC), Dehradun, delivered a special lecture on India’s vast fisheries potential and emerging opportunities.

During his address, Dr. Muruganandam emphasized that Blue Revolution 2.0 offers “oceans of opportunity” for the younger generation – both for livelihoods and professional pursuits -particularly in the context of the National Education Policy (NEP) and the skill development pathways promoted by the Agriculture Skill Council of India (ASCI).

Highlighting India’s rich natural aquatic resources – ranging from rivers and reservoirs to coastal and marine ecosystems – he spoke about the immense biodiversity, technological advancements in both capture and aquaculture systems, and the support provided through government flagship initiatives such as the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) and the Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF). He underscored that the fisheries sector holds a brighter growth trajectory than many other sectors in India today.

Dr. Muruganandam was invited as the guest expert for the World Fisheries Day celebrations organized by Dolphin PG Institute, Dehradun. In his presentation, he highlighted the achievements of Blue Revolution 1.0, which enabled a significant quantum jump in India’s fisheries production – from 0.7 million tonnes in 1950 to 9.6 million tonnes in 2014, and further to 19.5 million tonnes in 2025. He then outlined the roadmap for Blue Revolution 2.0, with a special focus on harnessing marine fisheries, boosting inland fish production, and adopting modern technologies such as water-quality sensors, aquatic biomass monitoring tools, biofloc systems, recirculatory aquaculture systems (RAS), value-addition techniques, and strategies for reducing post-harvest and processing losses.

Students and faculty members actively participated in the seminar and engaged in an enriching interaction with Dr. Muruganandam.

The session was facilitated by Dr. Beena Joshi, Head, Department of Zoology, and Dr. Deepali Rana, Assistant Professor, Dolphin PG Institute. About 50 graduate and postgraduate students, along with faculty members, attended and benefited from the technical discussions on fisheries potential and emerging opportunities.