The Tamil Nadu government plans to establish a fisheries university at Nagapattinam at an estimated cost of Rs 30 crore.
Chief minister J Jayalalithaa informed the state Assembly that, with a coastline of 188 km, Nagpattinam was the preferred choice for the university as the area emerged as a hub of fishing activities with 9,000 fishing vessels.
The university would be on the lines of those in neighbouring Kerala and in several countries. The main objective is to improve the fish wealth in the state, introduce modern technology to ensure a sustained revenue for fishermen and to encourage fishing education.
The new university will come up on an 85 acre site in Panangudi and Nagore villages, she said.
In the first phase, the Fisheries College and Research Institute at Tuticorin, the research wing of the fisheries department, the Chennai-based Fisheries Institute of Technology and Training, Fisheries Employees Training Centre and the Tamilnadu Maritime University would be affiliated to the University.
The chief minister said the new university would offer courses in shrimp farming, prawn, ornamental and other types of fish, fish processing and value addition, maintenance of fishing harbours, and machinery and inland and sea water training.
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The university is expected to play a key role in upgrading the exchange of technology, extended education, human resource development and the benefits of fisheries wealth. Those trained at the university would get placed in India and abroad.
According to the chief minister, steps are being taken to establish fish dressing centres, purchase of mechanised fishing boats, encourage deep sea fishing, upgrading the infrastructural facilities like cold storage facilities and providing assistance to the fishermen.