Scuba diving among short term courses to be available at new skill development centre

MANGALURU

A one-month course on ‘Scuba diving and Snorkeling’ will be among the eight short-term courses that the College of Fisheries will run from the 2024-25 academic year at its new Skill Development in Fisheries and Safety Training Centre in Hoigebazar here.

The new centre, built at a cost of ₹4.75 crore, was inaugurated by Dakshina Kannada Member of Parliament Nalin Kumar Kateel on Sunday. The building has been constructed by Mangaluru Smart City Ltd.

The other short-term courses include aquarium fabrication and ornamental fish maintenance, aquaphonenix/kitchen gardening and hydroponics, techniques in fish processing, using fish waste for manure, modernisation of fishing boats, and fish net making and repair.

Professor A.T. Ramachandra Naik from Department of Aquatic Environment Management of the College, who is coordinator of the Skill Centre, told The Hindu that steps have been taken to procure equipment necessary for the new courses. “We are likely to get the equipment by the end of this year. The short term courses will start from April next year,” Mr. Naik said.

Speaking at the inauguration programme, Mangaluru City South MLA D. Vedavyas Kamath said he has urged Fisheries Ports and Inland Water Transport Minister S. Angara to have programmes, including promotion of sea weed cultivation, that will help fishermen earn during non-fishing days. The third phase of jetty development works at Bunder at a cost of ₹49.5 crore is likely to get nod of the State Cabinet, which is meeting shortly, he said.

Deputy Commissioner M.R. Ravi Kumar said the district administration has granted permit and licenses to traditional fishermen for extraction of sand. With this, sand will now be available at around ₹7,000 per lorry load as against ₹22,000 per load.