Department of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries

The Department of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries is one of the oldest teaching-cum-research departments of the University of Kerala, which had its inception way back in 1936 as the Marine Biology Laboratory and Aquarium (headed by the internationally renowned Marine Biologist, late Prof. C.C. John) of the erstwhile Travancore University. This research wing of the Kerala University had been offering M. Sc. (by research) and Ph.D. courses in Marine Biology and Fisheries. The implementation of the Fishery Development Scheme in 1946 was a landmark in the development of the Laboratory. The Estuarine Research Station, located at Ayiramthengu, near Kayamkulam, of the Marine Biology Laboratory started experiments to culture and breed important estuarine food fishes. The Marine Biology & Fisheries Laboratory was the pioneer research institution to demonstrate artificial manuring of fish ponds and to conduct detailed studies in breeding, feeding and culture of brackishwater food fishes such as mullets, milkfish and pearl-spot. The Marine Station at Cape Comorin of the Laboratory took up the work of exploring the continental shelf and charting out the fishing grounds and started experimental fishing in these areas to find out the possibilities of large-scale commercial fishing.