Following chief minister J. Jayalalithaa’s announcement last year about establishing a state-of-the-art fisheries university in the coastal district of Nagapattinam, a high-level delegation, led by fisheries minister K.A. Jayapal, visited foreign countries and returned to the city on Wednesday.
Mr Jayapal told DC that the objective of the visit was to establish a new sprawling varsity at Pannangudi–Nagoor village at a cost of Rs 30 crore.
“Amma has instructed us to prepare a blueprint for establishing the varsity after observing the foreign marine universities. We visited Ocean universities at Bukyong and Shanghai.
The team also visited the marine aquarium at Malaysia and other countries. Aquaculture, ornamental fisheries and breeding of inland fishes will be main courses in the new varsity.”
Already, the state has a fisheries college at Thoothukudi, governed by the TN Veterinary and Animal Sciences University.
The new varsity will be a boon for the state animal husbandry department and also provide a holistic approach while dealing with issues related to marine ecosystem.