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Official website of ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Mumbai

Dr. Sukham Munilkumar

Dr. Sukham Munilkumar
Principal Scientist
Aquaculture
BFSc, MSc (Fisheries Management), PhD (Inland Aquaculture)
+91-22-23573893 | Extn: 29 (O) | +91-9007092830

Research Interests

  • Larval rearing and nutrition
  • Multi trophic aquaculture systems
  • Ornamental fish from Northeast India

  • Sravani, G., Sawant, P. B., Munilkumar, S., Biswas, G., Shamna, N., Debroy, S., ... & Sarma, D. (2025). Nutritional Strategies and Feeding Schedules: Their Role in Optimizing Growth and Metabolism in Indigenous Ornamental Zebra loach (Botia striata). Animal Feed Science and Technology, 116418.
  • Sravani, G., Sawant, P. B.,Munilkumar, S., Biswas, G., N, S., Debroy, S., ... & Harika, N. (2025). Nutritional Retention in Frozen Tubifex (Tubifex tubifex) Stored at− 20° C: A Comparative Analysis of Storage Durations up to 12 Weeks. Journal of Applied Ichthyology, 2025(1), 7675721.
  • Sawant, K. S., Pailan, G. H., Sardar, P., Jana, P., Xavier, K. A. M., Munilkumar ,S., ... & Bhusare, S. (2025). Nutrient Profiling and In Vitro Antioxidant Activity Assessment of Selected Red Seaweed Species of North-West Coast of India. Journal of Environmental Biology, 46(3), 450-458.
  • Malik, M. A., Sardar, P.,Munilkumar, S. , Varghese, T., Bhat, N. M., Dar, S., & Kumar, S. (2025). Comparative evaluation of microbial fermentation on the nutritional and anti-nutritional profile of Eichhornia crassipes leaf meal. Aquaculture International, 33(4), 1-20.
  • Meitei, M. M., Muralidhar, A. P., Syamala, K., Sureesh, S., Biswas, G., Megarajan, S., & Munilkumar, S. (2025). Assessment of filtration capacity of different bivalve species suitable for integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) systems vis-à-vis waste valorization for sustainable environment. Discover Sustainability, 6(1), 1-16.
  • John, V. C., Verma, A. K., Krishnani, K. K., Munilkumar, S., Varghese, T., Hittinahalli, C. M., & S, A. (2025). Transforming waste to value: exploring potential of different organic fertilizer extracts as supplement mineral nutrients in aquaculture wastewater towards sustainable production of Channa striata (Bloch, 1793) and Lactuca sativa L. aquaponics. Aquaculture International, 33(4), 256.
  • Kumar, N., Ambasankar, K., Dalvi, R. S., Aklakur, M., Chandan, N. K., Jamwal, A., Munilkumar, S.,... & Jadhao, S. B. (2025). Dietary lecithin ameliorates endosulfan-induced stress responses and promotes growth, immunity, and disease resistance in fingerlings of the milkfish, Chanos chanos. Aquaculture, 598, 741953.
  • Harini, G., Pathak, M. S., Munilkumar, S., Sukhdhane, K. S., Chanu, T. I., Balange, A. K., & Jeena, K. (2025). Unlocking synergies: Enhancing bioremediation, growth, and physiological responses of Penaeus vannamei co-cultured with seaweed. Algal Research, 85, 103816
  • Prakash, P., Munilkumar, S., Narsale, S. A., Marbaniang, B. J., Devi, G. A., Kadam, R., ... & Singh, S. K. (2024). An improved recirculatory system model for culture of sludge worm: A cleaner innovative choice. Environmental Technology & Innovation, 36, 103889.
  • Das, A., Adhikari, S., Chadha, N.K., Munilkumar, S., Sawant, P.B., Hussan, A. and Paul, B.N. (2024). Ontogeny and Growth of Early Life Stages of Barred Spiny Eel Macrognathus pancalus (Hamilton, 1822). Indian Journal of Animal Research. doi: 10.18805/IJAR.B-5405
  • Halpati, R. P., Sukham, M., Pailan, G. H., Dasgupta, S., Sahoo, S., Malik, M. A., ... & Chandegara, A. (2024). Optimized co-feeding strategy of Anabas testudineus (Bloch 1792) larvae with enriched Moina micrura and egg custard-based inert diet; effects on growth, survival, and physio-metabolic responses. Aquaculture International, 1-23.
  • Shinde, S. V., Sukhdhane, K. S., Sawant, S. S., Krishnani, K. K.,Munilkumar, S., Majeedkutty, B. R. A., ... & Pathak, M. S. (2024). Amelioration of water quality and physiological performance of GIFT fish through the incorporation of Lemna minor and Lamellidens marginalis for ecological bioremediation in freshwater integrated multi-trophic aquaculture system. Aquaculture International, 1-21.
  • Malik, M. A., Sardar, P., Munilkumar, S., Varghese, T., Kumar, S., Gupta, G., ... & Bhat, N. M. (2024). Comparative evaluation of raw and fermented Eichhornia crassipes leaf meal in the diet of Cyprinus carpio fingerlings: Effects on growth performance, body composition and haemato-biochemical responses. Animal Feed Science and Technology, 310, 115947.
  • Singh, P. K., Munilkumar, S., Sundaray, J. K., Santhanam, P., Sharma, A., Haque, R., & Chandan, N. K. (2024). Evaluation of enriched freshwater rotifer, Brachionus calyciflorus as first feed on growth performance, nutrient availability and fatty acid composition of Anabas testudineus (Bloch, 1792)larvae. Animal Feed Science and Technology, 309, 115901.
  • Shinde, S. V., Sukhdhane, K. S., Krishnani, K. K., AM, B. R., Pathak, M. S., Chanu, T. I., & Munilkumar, S. (2024). Inclusion of organic and inorganic extractive species improves growth, survival and physiological responses of GIFT fish reared in freshwater integrated multi-trophic aquaculture system. Aquaculture, 580, 740346.
  • Prakash, P., Kumar, S., Sardar, P., Munilkumar, S., Sahoo, S., Satheesh, M., ... & Patel, A. (2023). Optimization of weaning strategy in the climbing perch (Anabas testudineus, Bloch 1792) larvae on growth, survival, digestive, metabolic and stress responses. Fish Physiology and Biochemistry, 49(6), 1151-1169.
  • Prakash, P., Swapnil, N., Sheikh, S., Tekam, I., Bhalchandra, N., Madhav, G. and Munilkumar, S., (2023). Nutritional Significance of Fish in Combating Malnutrition. International Journal of Environment and Climate Change, 13(11), pp.249-258.
  • Bhattacharjya, Raya, Thomas Kiran Marella, Munilkumar, S., Vikas Kumar, and Archana Tiwari. (2023) "Diatom‐assisted aquaculture: Paving the way towards sustainable economy." Reviews in Aquaculture. https://doi.org/10.1111/raq.12848
  • Argade, S., Pailan, G. H., Mahapatra, B. K., Dutta, S., Munilkumar, S., Dasgupta, S., ... & Xavier, K. M. (2023). Impact of skill development trainings on fish farmers’ knowledge and attitude: A case study from Bihar, India. Indian J. Fish, 70(1), 119-125
  • Nath, K., S. Munilkumar, A.B. Patel, P.K. Pandey and P.B. Sawant. (2023). Filtration capabilities of freshwater mussel (Lamellidens marginalis) and apple snail (Pila globosa) and their potential impacts on freshwater integrated multitrophic aquaculture systems. J. Environ. Biol., 44, 367-372
  • Singh, P. K., Munilkumar, S., Sundaray, J. K., Santhanam, P., Sharma, A., Haque, R., & Satheesh, M. (2023). Effect of selenium, vitamin C and highly unsaturated fatty acids-enriched Brachionus calyciflorus on growth, survival, physio-metabolic and anti-oxidative responses in Anabas testudineus (Bloch, 1792) larvae. Aquaculture, 739293
  • Makamguang Kamei, Sukham Munilkumar, Ch. Basudha,Subrata Dasgupta, Paramita Banerjee Singh, P. K., Munilkumar, S., Sundaray, J. K., Santhanam, P., Sharma, A., Haque, R., & Satheesh, M. (2023). Effect of selenium, vitamin C and highly unsaturated fatty acids-enriched Brachionus calyciflorus on growth, survival, physio-metabolic and anti-oxidative responses in Anabas testudineus (Bloch, 1792) larvae. Aquaculture, 739293
  • Sawant, Prakash Sharma (2022). Maturity and spawning season of Burmese loach, Lepidocephalichthys berdmorei (Blyth–1860). Environment and Ecology 40 (4D) : 2721—2728
  • Kamei, M., Munilkumar, S., Basudha, C., Dasgupta, S., Sawant, P.B & Mangang, W.R. (2022). Breeding and larval rearing of juvenile of Burmese Loach, Lepidocephalichthys Berdmorei (Blyth, 1860): A new candidate species for aquaculture. J. Exp. Zool. India Vol. 26, No. 1, pp. 11-17,
  • Siddaiah, G. M., Munilkumar, S., Aklakur, M., Kumari, R., Balakrishna, C. H., & Nadella, R. K. (2022). Evaluation of Sugar Industry By-products for Growth Performance, Body Composition and Metabolism in Labeo rohita (Ham) Fingerlings. Animal Nutrition and Feed Technology, 21(3), 457-469.
  • Kumar, V. S., Sarkar, S. D., Das, B. K., Sarkar, D. J., Gogoi, P., Maurye, P., Mitra, T., Talukder, A.K., Ganguly, S., Nag, S.K.,Munilkumar, S. & Samanta, S. (2022). Sustainable biodiesel production from microalgae Graesiella emersonii through valorization of garden wastes-based vermicompost. Science of The Total Environment, 807, 150995.
  • Singh, S.K., Tiwari, V. K., Munilkumar, S., Prakash, C., Chadha, N.K & Biswas, P. (2021). Effect of dietary synbiotic on serum biochemistry and anti-oxidative function of Labeo rohita fingerlings exposed to sub-lethal nitrite stress. Indian J Anim Health (2021),60(2)-Special Issue:253-261.DOI: https://doi.org/10.36062/ijah.2021.spl.02621
  • Munilkumar, S., W. Romen Mangang, G. Aruna Devi, Sunil Ail & J.K. Sundaray. (2021). Coastal Ornamental Aquaculture as Livelihood Option and Its Vulnerability to Climate Change. J. Indian Soc. Coastal Agric. Res. 39(1): 1-16
  • Munilkumar, S., Rameshori, Y., Mangang, W.R., Kamei, M., Chinglemba, Y., Pavan‐Kumar, A., Mahapatra, B.K., Das, A., Hanif, M.A. & Siddik, M.A.B., (2021). Length‐weight relationships of six Nemacheilid fish species (Teleostei: Cypriniformes) from different rivers of Manipur, India. Journal of Applied Ichthyology. doi.org/10.1111/jai.14160
  • Nath, K., Munilkumar, S., Patel, A.B., Kamilya, D., Pandey, P.K., & Banerjee Sawant, P. (2021). Lamellidens and Wolffia canopy improves growth, feed utilization and welfare of Labeo rohita (Hamilton,1822) in integrated multi-trophic freshwater aquaculture system. Aquaculture, Volume 534,736207, doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture. 2020.736207
  • Siddaiah, G. M., Munilkumar, S., Aklakur, M., Kumari, R., Balakrishna, C. H., & Nadella, R. K. (2021). Evaluation of Sugar Industry By-products for Growth Performance, Body Composition and Metabolism in Labeo rohita (Ham) Fingerlings. Animal Nutrition and Feed Technology, 21(3), 457-469.
  • Chakraborty, R., Munilkumar, S., Aich, N., Biswas, P., Mandal, S.C., Singh, S.K. & Sarkar, S. (2021). Fishing wisdoms of Fisher folks of Sepahijala District of Tripura. J. Krishi Vigyan. (Special issue):125-129
  • Rani, S., Sahoo, S., Srivastava, P. P., Kumar, M., Gupta, S., Munilkumar, S., Gupta, G. & Krishna, G. (2020). Influence of inclusion of pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) leafmeal on growth, physio‐metabolic and immune parameters, and expression of IGF‐1, IGF‐1R and IGFBP‐1 genes in Labeo rohita (Hamilton, 1822) fingerlings. Aquaculture Research. doi.org/10.1111/are.15046
  • Biswas, C., Chakraborty, S., Munilkumar, S., Gireesh-Babu, P., Sawant, P.B., Chadha, N.K., Krishna, G. & Dasgupta, S., (2020). Effect of high temperature during larval and juvenile stages on masculinization of common carp (Cyprinus carpio, L). Aquaculture, 530, p.735803. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2020.735803
  • Pham, H. D., Siddik, M. A., Fotedar, R., Chaklader, M. R., Foysal, M. J., Nguyen, C. M., & Munilkumar, S. (2020). Substituting fishmeal with lupin Lupinus angustifolius kernel meal in the diets of cobia Rachycentron canadum: Effects on growth performance, nutrient utilization, haemato-physiological response, and intestinal health. Animal Feed Science and Technology,114556.
  • Udit, U. K., Biswal, A., Mane, A. M., Sinha, V., Hussan, A., Munilkumar, S., ... & Naik, A. R. (2020). Culture of Brachionus calyciflorus As Fish Food Organism: An Approach To Improve Larval Survival Of Freshwater Fish. Journal of Experimental Zoology, India, 23(1), 313-321.

Book authored:

  • Sarangi, S.K., Mohanty, R.K., Munilkumar, S., & Sundaray, J.K. (2025). Agroecology and Integrated Farming System, CRC Press, 362p. ISBN : 9781003239963. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003239963

Book Chapters

  • Patekar, P., Lollen, K., Bhardwaj, A., & Munilkumar, S. (2025). Live Food Sourcing for Ornamental Fish Farming and Aquarium Trade in India. In Ornamental Fisheries and Aquarium Keeping (pp. 200-211). CRC Press.
  • Munilkumar, S., Malik, M. A., Lollen, K., Prakash, P., & Chanu, T. I. (2025). Breeding and Seed Production of Shrimp Under Captive Conditions. Shrimp Culture Technology: Farming, Health Management and Quality Assurance, 77-106.
  • Malik, M. A., Prakash, P., & Munilkumar, S. (2024). Nutritional Intervention for Inland Coldwater Aquaculture Practices in Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) Region. In Aquaculture and Conservation of Inland Coldwater Fishes (pp. 175-187). Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore.
  • Waikhom, D., Ngasotter, S., Devi, L. S., Singh, S. K., & Munilkumar, S. (2023). Iron-Degrading Bacteria in the Aquatic Environment: Current Trends and Future Directions. In Current Status of Fresh Water Microbiology (pp. 367-385). Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore.
  • Halpati Reena Prakashbhai, Patekar Prakash Goraksha, Banlam J. Marbaniang, Satheesh M. and Munilkumar, S (2023). Emerging Technologies in Hatcheries for Replacing Live Feed. In Emerging Trends in the Aquaculture Sector (Eds. Pathak, N and Moglekar, H.S) Narendra Publishing House, Delhi, India. 161-176 p
  • Lingaraju, N., Malik, M. A., Singh, S. K., & Munilkumar, S. (2023).Vulnerability and Mitigation Approach to Nutritional Pathology for Sustainable Fish Growth in Changing Climatic Conditions. In Outlook of Climate Change and Fish Nutrition (pp. 233-263). Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore.
  • Singh S.K., Munilkumar S., Pawar N.A., Biswas, P. (2022).Prebiotic–Synbiotic Nexus: Critical Dietary Role in Aquaculture. In: Gupta S.K., Giri S.S. (eds) Biotechnological Advances in Aquaculture Health Management. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/ 978-981-16-5195-3_11
  • Kumar, D., & Munilkumar, S. (2021). Feeding Cities Through Urban and Peri-Urban Aquaculture. In The Basics of Human Civilization (pp. 541-563). CRC Press.
  • Kumar, P., Jain, K. K., & Munilkumar, S. (2021). Research on Responses of Digestive and Metabolic Enzymes to Different Feeding Strategies with Sub-optimal Protein Level in Labeo rohita Fingerlings. Current Advances in Chemistry and Biochemistry Vol. 2, 55-65.

  • Investigation on ecological status, conservation and enhancement of Fisheries in Maharashtra part of Sardar Sarovar Reservoir Funded by Fisheries Department, Government of Maharashtra.
  • Environmental and nutritional intervention to form white leg shrimp, Penaeus vannamei in low saline water (LSW): A strategy for improving aquaculture production funded by ICAR – National Agricultural Science Fund (NASF), N. Delhi.

  • Fellow of Zoological Society of India, Bodhgaya, India
  • Endeavour Research Fellow (2015)