Mudnakudu Channabasappa Nandeesha (1 July 1957 – 27 December 2012) was a development researcher, innovative aquaculture development worker and educator. He is recognized for making critical contributions to the rapid growth of aquaculture by applying research to key bottlenecks to fish production. In India, he conducted successful pioneering field tests of Ovaprim, an ovulating agent, under different agro-climatic conditions to help remove a critical early barrier for freshwater fish breeding. His significant scientific contributions include simplified breeding technology for cyprinids and development of feeds and feeding techniques appropriate to rural aquaculture, and helping improve and spread the practices of small scale fish farming at a time when most attention was on large scale producers. He wrote a regular and widely acclaimed column in Network of Aquaculture Centers in Asia-Pacific (NACA) Aquaculture Asia magazine on farmer innovations in aquaculture. He was described as an "ambassador for aquaculture" and was especially noted for promoting aquaculture for the disadvantaged poor households and women. Along with Michael New, in 2003 he was a founding member of the not-for-profit organisation, Aquaculture without Frontiers. While encouraging poor people to take up aquaculture, he was also a pioneer in promoting equity for women, who had been neglected in the aquaculture boom. Throughout his career, he was in the forefront of initiatives to upgrade the professionalism of fisheries and aquaculture experts,Three examples are: (1) along with H.P.C. Shetty, he established the Asian Fisheries Society Indian Branch in 1986 (Mohan Joseph Modayil. 2012. In Memoriam. World Aquaculture Societyhttps://www.was.org/articles/in-memoriam-m-c-nandeesha.aspx); (2) founded the Professional Fisheries Graduates Forum of India (C. Mohanakumaran Nair. 2012. In Memoriam. World Aquaculture Society https://www.was.org/articles/in-memoriam-m-c-nandeesha.aspx); and (3) in 2011 in Thoothukudi (Tamil Nadu), he convened a workshop of deans and senior faculty of Indian fisheries colleges as part of a process aimed at reforming and revitalizing fisheries education in India to meet 21st century needs (Ram Bhujel. 2012. In Memoriam https://www.was.org/articles/in-memoriam-m-c-nandeesha.aspx). and inspired peers and students in critical new directions.
His professional career, which began in the 1980s, made significant contributions during the important early rapid development of Indian, Asian and world aquaculture. In this period, aquaculture became and remains the fastest growing food production sector.The Aquaculture page of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) states: aquaculture ".. is probably the fastest growing food-producing sector and now accounts for 50 percent of the world's fish that is used for food." http://www.fao.org/aquaculture/en/ (accessed 6 February). For Indian major carps (see catla, mrigal and rohu), of which about 5 million tonnes are now produced annually (compared to just over 200 thousand tonnes in 1980), Nandeesha established critical improved breeding and seed production approaches,In the 1980s, quality carp seed was a bottleneck in the culture of Indian major carps (rohu, catla and mrigal). Nandeesha simplified the then current technology for breeding carps and tested techniques for assured spawning. The technology of breeding carps using luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRHa) analogues with dopamine antagonists (such as Ovaprim) started in Karnataka and was later tested in an all India trial. This technique of breeding fishes is still widely used throughout India, and in other Asian countries. In 2014, nearly 5 million tonnes of the 3 Indian major carps were produced in India and neighbouring countries (FAO Species Fact Sheets). In addition, the Government of India used the results of the studies by Nandeesha and colleagues as the basis to allow the wide scale usage of Ovaprim for breeding of fishes.Nandeesha, M. C., Rao, K. G., Jayanna, R., Parker, N. C., Varghese, T. J., Keshavanath, P., Shetty, H. P. C. and Das, S. K.1990. Successful induction of spawning in Indian major carps through single application of Ovaprim – C. P. 581-185. In :Hirano, R. and I, Hanyu (Eds.). Asian Fisheries Society, Manila, Philippines.Nandeesha, M. C., S. K. Das, D. E. Nathaniel & T. J. Varghese. 1990. Breeding of carps with ovaprim in India. Special Publ. No.4 (Asian Fisheries Society, Indian Branch, MangaIore), 1990, pp. 41. and feed and nutrition regimes,Nandeesha, M. C., Krishna Murthy, D. and De Silva, S. S. 1995. Use of mixed feeding schedules in fish culture : performance of common carp, Cyprinus carpio L., on plant and animal protein based diets. Aquaculture Research, 26: 161–166.Nandeesha, M. C. 1993. Aquafeeds and feeding strategies in India, 213–254: In: Farm Made Feeds (M.B.New, A.G.J.Tacon and I. Csavas- Eds). Proceedings of the FAO/AADCP expert consultation on farm made Aquafeeds, 14 – 18th Dec,1992, Bangkok, Thailand, 434p.Gangadhara, B., M. C. Nandeesha, T. J. Varghese and P. Keshavanath. 1997. Effect of varying protein and lipid levels on the growth of rohu, Labeo rohita. Asian Fisheries Science 10: 146–154 and began his promotion of women's roles and the need for gender equality in fisheries and aquaculture. In Cambodia, he pioneered the spread of small scale fish farming and fish seed production.Kingdom of Cambodia certificate "Samdech Krom Preah Norodom Ranariddh presents his appreciation to Dr. M. C. Nandeesha and his colleagues at PADEK for Developing the Human Resources of Fishery Faculty at the Royal University of Agriculture, Chamcar, Daung, Cambodia. Phnom Penh February 28, 1997" signed Norodom Ranariddh, First Prime Minister. In Bangladesh, he encouraged farmer-participatory research and elevated the importance of the role of women in Bangladesh aquaculture.Nandeesha, M. C. and C. Okali . 2008. CARE Bangladesh : family approaches in integrated aquaculture. 591–593. In : Gender in Agriculture – Source Book. Published by the World Bank, FAO and IFAD. When working in Cambodia and Bangladesh, Nandeesha was motivated by the conditions he witnessed to create more inclusive aquaculture development concerned with helping farmers and their households in poverty eradication and food security and nutrition,M. C. Nandeesha stresses that tribal fishers in the Andamans should be helped in adopting technologies available already, Andaman Chronicle, 18 October 2012, "CARI conducts Field Study and Consultation for Development of Tribal Fishers" and in building human resources. While subsequently working for international agenciesMohan Joseph Modayii lists among these FAO, CARITAS, JICA, World Bank, NACA, CARE, IDRC, PADEK, NOVIB, and CIDSE. Modayii, Mohan Joseph (28 February 2013). "In Memorium: M. C. Nandeesha – 1957 – 2012". World Aquaculture Society (www.was.org). World Aquaculture Society. Retrieved 3 February 2017. in several countries, he energized the field of aquaculture research for development and worked in developing its professional societies and human resources, and creating professional international institutional partnerships. Nandeesha received several honors for his work. He was formally honored by government and professional society awards at several levels: national, among which were the Royal Order of Sahametrei Knight Award by the Prime Minister of Cambodia, and the Asian Fisheries Society Indian Branch gold medal; regional, e.g., Asian Fisheries Society gold medal; and global, e.g., World Aquaculture Society fellow. He held leadership positions in several professional and industry societies, one of which, the Asian Fisheries Society Indian Branch he helped create. He helped build stronger and new higher education institutions for aquaculture, including the Tamil Nadu Fisheries University that he helped build out of the Fisheries College and Research Institute, Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu. He was Vice-Chancellor Designate when he died. Posthumously, his contributions were recognized by special tributes from his peers, and an FAO sponsored course in advanced fisheries and aquaculture economics named in his honor. In honors reserved for few people, the Asian Fisheries Society, World Aquaculture Society and Asian Fisheries Society Indian Branch, have named awards in his honor.
Biography Early years and education Source:M. C. Nandeesha, full Curriculum Vitae, 18 July 2012, 37 pp.
Nandeesha was born in Mudnakudu, a village near Mysore, Karnataka, into a rural farming family. He was educated at primary and secondary school in the village of his birth. He attended the College of Fisheries, Mangalore, Karnataka, India, and gained a Bachelor of Fisheries Science (1976–1980) and Master of Fisheries Science (1987–1992). He gained his Ph.D. in zoology/fisheries from Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan, West Bengal, India. His thesis title was "Formulation and evaluation of artificial diets for carps."
Career Source:
After obtaining his first degree, Nandeesha's fisheries career began in 1982 when he served, until 1985, as a Research Assistant (Fisheries) in the Agriculture College, University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad. India. He then became an Assistant Professor (1985–1992), in the Department of Aquaculture, College of Fisheries Mangalore, India.
In 1992, Nandeesha took up a development position in Cambodia, working until 1997 as Fisheries Adviser for the non-governmental organisation (NGO) Partnership for Development in Kampuchea (Padek), Phnom Penh, Cambodia and serving as Adjunct Professor with the Fisheries Faculty of Royal University of Agriculture, Royal Government of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. He returned briefly to India in 1997–98 as an Associate Professor in the Department of Aquaculture, College of Fisheries, University of Agricultural Sciences, Mangalore, before moving back to development work, this time in Bangladesh.
From 1998 to 2001, he worked for CARE Bangladesh in the Agriculture and Natural Resources Sector, committed to two major aquaculture projects, first as Research and Dissemination Advisor to LIFE (Locally Intensified Farming Enterprise) Project and then as Project Coordinator of the GOLDA (Greater Options for Local Development through Aquaculture) Project. In these projects, he worked with many local Bangladeshi non-government organisations, such as Banchte Shekha, a women-led organisation (see poster "My Wife Does Not Work").
In 2001 he returned to India and soon took up the challenge to become Professor and Department-in-Charge at the new College of Fisheries, Central Agricultural University, Tripura State, northeast India, a position he held until 2008. From 2008 to 2010, he worked as an adviser to aquaculture work in Tripura and consulted to international organisations, including Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific (NACA), the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Bank.Nandeesha, M. C. and C. Okali. 2008. Family based systems for aquaculture development in Asia approaches in integrated aqua culture in Asia. 573–576. In : Gender in Agriculture – Source Book. Published by the World Bank, FAO and IFAD.
In 2010 he became Dean of the Fisheries College and Research Institute, Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, moving in 2012 to become Special Officer for Tamil Nadu Fisheries University, Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu, carrying out the preliminary work for the establishment of the university, including formulating the Act that came into effect 19 June 2012. At the time of his death, he was Vice-Chancellor designate of the Tamil Nadu Fisheries University.