The Navsari Gujarat Regional Centre (NGRC) of ICAR-Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture (ICAR-CIBA), in collaboration with the Gujarat Aquaculture Feed Dealer Association (GAFDA), successfully organized the Second Seafood Festival-2026, titled “Samudra Manthan,” at Dandi Beach, Olpad Taluka, Surat district, from 20-22 February 2026. The event received partial monetary support from the Department of Fisheries, Government of Gujarat, Gandhinagar.
Building on the success of the first Seafood Festival held in 2025, the three-day celebration was organized to raise public awareness about the nutritional benefits of fish and promote increased domestic seafood consumption. The festival featured more than 75 seafood outlets, offering an impressive array of delicacies from across India’s coastline. With vibrant stalls and diverse culinary experiences, the event witnessed an overwhelming response, attracting an estimated 1,00,000 visitors over three days. The strong turnout reflected growing public interest and highlighted the vast potential for popularizing seafood consumption.
The event was inaugurated on the evening of 20 February 2026 by Shri Mukesh Zinabhai Patel, MLA for the Olpad constituency, Surat, in the presence of Dr. Kuldeep K. Lal, Director, ICAR-CIBA, Chennai, and Shri Pradeep Navik, President, GAFDA. In his inaugural address, Shri Patel highlighted new initiatives undertaken by the Government of Gujarat to promote fisheries and shrimp culture. He emphasized the importance of fish as a health food and underscored ongoing efforts by both state and central fisheries ministries to enhance seafood production and consumption across the country. Dr. Kuldeep K. Lal outlined ICAR-CIBA’s role in co-organizing the festival, stressing that increasing consumption is as important as enhancing production. He highlighted ICAR-CIBA’s leadership in developing brackishwater aquaculture technologies and emphasized the promotion of species such as pearlspot and milkfish, which are being introduced to the western coastal regions as nutritious and sustainable seafood options.
A special seafood outlet was operated by members of the Halpati Samaj Matsya Mandal, Navsari, a self-help group supported by the NGRC of ICAR-CIBA under the Scheduled Tribe Component (STC). The stall featured local delicacies prepared from farm-reared brackishwater species including mud crab, seabass, pearlspot, milkfish, and shrimp. These fish were produced at an integrated fish farming unit in Sultanpur Village, Navsari, using ICAR-CIBA technologies under the STC scheme, demonstrating sustainable aquaculture practices and livelihood support initiatives.
The festival successfully blended nutrition awareness, technology outreach, livelihood promotion, and culinary diversity, reinforcing the role of seafood in healthy diets and sustainable aquaculture development.
