Fish Museum being set up in UP capital

Lucknow, Apr 25 :To give impetus to fish genetic research and conservation, a unique fish museum is being set up at the National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (NBFGR) here.

The museum will be a repository of marine bio-diversity including fish, micro-organisms, parasites and other aquatic life forms.

''A decision to that effect has already been taken and the process of setting up the museum will roll soon,'' Dr S Ayyappan, Deputy Director General (Fisheries), Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), told UNI here yesterday.

NBFGR, which is a nodal body under the ICAR, has a knowledge bank on Indian fish species, gene pool and related fish taxonomy statistics.

''This data will be made available for marine scientists and research students,'' NBFGR Director W S Lakra said.

An interactive software will be the key component of the museum, that would allow visitors to browse through the different Indian fish species, their characteristics and habitat.

Dr Ayyappan is here for a regional workshop on 'Freshwater Fish Diversity: Conservation and Management for Sustainable Fisheries in the Hill States of Northern India'.

A large number of leading Indian fishery experts and scientists are participating in the two-day workshop.

The deliberations will mainly focus on aquatic bio-diversity research and conservation in the hill states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himanchal Pradesh and Uttaranchal.

''ICAR is stressing on three main points vis-a-vis fisheries -- associate pisciculture with tourism, protect nutritional security with pisciculture and fish exports,'' Dr Ayyappan informed.

UNI