Annamalai University Researchers Hog Headlines
By Arnab, Gaea News NetworkWednesday, March 17, 2010
TAMIL NADU, INDIA (GaeaTimes.com)- South India based reputed educational institution Annamalai University has come into the spotlight again, this time for the right reasons. A few days back this month, the death of a few of its students and the subsequent student unrest forced the authorities to shut operations for a period. It has resumed the operations after the violence has subsided. In a recent development that can take Marine biology research to new heights, the university’s Center of Advanced Study in Marine Biology led by Prof T T Ajith Kumar has bred marine ornamental fishes using saline estuarine water. This was previously thought to be impossible.
The students of Center of Advanced Study in Marine Biology of Annamalai University made the breakthrough after five years of painstaking research. It is likely to open up new frontiers or the fishers. They can set up hatcheries and hatch marine fish species without venturing into the seas. Besides, this finding will go a long way in preventing the destruction of precious coral reefs in sea shores and adjoining areas.
Annamalai University’s Advanced Study in Marine Biology leader Prof T. T. Ajith Kumar said that so far two breeds of marine fishes Damsel and Clown have been bred by the team. If this discovery can be implemented in large scale commercial setups, the cost of hatching will take a nosedive. It will benefit the fisher community immensely. According to Prof T T Ajith Kumar, a fisher can set up a new hatchery for as low as Rs 25,000 and recover the amount spent within the first year itself, following the new method.
