Overview
The Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS) is a publicly funded autonomous university established by the Government of Kerala, devoted to studies in fisheries and ocean sciences. It is recognised as the first university in India exclusively dedicated to fisheries and allied disciplines. The university has its headquarters at the premises of the College of Fisheries, Panangad, near Madavana Junction along the Kochi Bypass section of NH-66.
The bill seeking to establish the university was passed by the Kerala Legislative Assembly on 30 December 2010, and the institution was constituted on 20 November 2010. It is governed by the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies Act, 2010, notified by the Kerala Law (Legislation 1) Department vide Notification No. 19540/Leg.1/2010/Law dated 28 January 2011. KUFOS was formally inaugurated and dedicated to the nation at a function held at the campus of the College of Fisheries, Panangad, on 20 February 2011.
The College of Fisheries, established in 1979, was earlier a constituent college of the Kerala Agricultural University and now forms part of KUFOS. The total land area associated with the university is 69 acres. The Ernakulam South Railway Station is the nearest railway station to the campus.
B. Madhusoodhana Kurup, a member of the Kerala Coastal Zone Management Authority and Director of the School of Industrial Fisheries at Cochin University of Science and Technology, served as the inaugural Vice-Chancellor of the university. Mohanakumaran Nair, Dean and Head of the Department of Aquaculture at the College of Fisheries, Panangad, was appointed as the first Pro Vice-Chancellor. Tresa Radhakrishnan, Head of the Department of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries at the University of Kerala, was the first Registrar of the university.
References
Adapted from the English Wikipedia article on the English Wikipedia page for Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies