Field visit and interaction at fish-farm cum coastal-eco tourism centre at Malippuram, Ernakulam, Kerala

    The Kerala State Co-operative   Federation for Fisheries Development limited (MATSYAFED), a Govt. of Kerala undertaking under the Department of Fisheries has three farm tourism centres, two at Ernakulam district (Njarakkal & Malippuram) and the other at Palaikari, Kottayam. A field visit was carried out to the fish-farm cum coastal-eco tourism centre at Malippuram, Ernakulam coastal district on 25 February 2025. The centre has two components, 1) Mangrove park established under the CSR initiative and 2) a brackishwater fish farm of 7 ha. Shri. Abhijit, the Manager of the centre explained the working of the unit including the mangrove park, fish culture operations (milkfish, mullet and pearlspot pond farming), recreational fishing, boat rides, recreational hut, and traditional seafood restaurant. There were also several installations that focuses on sustainability and waste recycling such as seats made of plastic waste, name boards for all mangrove species, and dust bins prepared from scrap material. Dr Sreekanth GB, Senior Scientist (FRM), ICAR-CCARI appreciated the efforts of the centre to upgrade it as a model coastal eco-tourism in the Ernakulam coastal district. He has also made a special mention on the establishment of a model mangrove park under the CSR initiative, which is currently the major attraction of the unit. He suggested to include different fisheries and integrated farming based interventions such as demonstration of traditional fishing practices, cage/pen culture culture, mussel culture, crab farming, vegetable farming, duck cum fish cage unit, and livestock farming (poultry, duck and goat). He assured all the scientific and technical guidance from the institute for the operation of the unit. Shri. Abhijit expressed heartfelt thanks to the institute for coming forward and providing valuable suggestions for the improvement of the unit. He assured continuous support for the research and development activities of the institute in the coastal region.