The Fisheries College and Research Institute, Thoothukudi, a constitute college of Tamil Nadu Dr.J.Jayalalithaa Fisheries University, Nagapattinam celebrated a two day Homecoming of old Students on 14.03.2026. As a part of the occasion, Student-Alumni interactive session on the Career Opportunities in fisheries, Careers in Civil Service was conducted. Dr.A.V.Suresh, Managing Director, United Research, Singapore served as panel of alumni experts and many experts of alumnus in the field of fisheries explained the National and International opportunities. Further the scope on women empowerment in Agri Business Cell and Agri-clinic opportunities was also explained to the students. The alumni working in fisheries department motivated the students for opportunities in civil services and fisheries department based on their experiences as well as encouraging students to contribute to the society with dedicated service. Dr. N. Felix, Vice-Chancellor, Tamil Nadu Dr.J.Jayalalithaa Fisheries University, Nagapattinam participated as a Chief Guest and inaugurated the function with motivational speech on this occasion.
Chief Guest Address by the Vice-Chancellor
Good morning to everyone present here.
I am happy to be here today on this wonderful homecoming event. It gives me immense pleasure seeing the Alumni and students.
Thank you all for taking your valuable time to come over here to connect and reconnect the alma matter. Your presence today shows your emotional bond with this institution and your enthusiasm to continue the same bond in future.
Let me begin by highlighting some encouraging developments within our alumni community.
We must appreciate the Alumni cricket group for continuously organising the home coming event.
After I assumed office as Vice-Chancellor of this university, I realised the enormous potential of our alumni network and involve them actively in the development of the university.
In 2024, we organised the Industry–Institution Summit bringing top level industry decision makers across India and also organised a consultative workshop on “Fisheries and Aquaculture Production in Tamil Nadu : Status and Way Forward.”
In 2025, we encouraged young innovators by organising the Indian Fisheries Students Innovation and Startup Conference (IFSISC) wherein top investors, industry personnel and start ups in fisheries and aquaculture sector in India participated and delivered lectures.
This was followed by the TNJFU Alumni Convention, which further strengthened the relationship between alumni and the university. Though the number of participants was limited, the event was conducted in a very meaningful way with the enthusiastic participation of alumni and students.
In 2026, we recently conducted the International Workshop on Aqua Nutrition, focusing on improving aquafeeds and strengthening the blue economy through innovation and nutritional science wherein we brought 14 international speakers and more industry participation.
We maintained high standard in all the programmes organised which became possible only because of the strong support from our alumni working in the industry.
At this moment, I would like to acknowledge a few individuals of TNJFU ALUMNI whose contributions have been truly remarkable.
Strengthening the Alumni Database
If we want to strengthen our alumni network, we must first address a practical challenge.
At present, our alumni records are not fully updated . We track through friend groups or batch networks to track the achievements of our graduates.
When alumni change jobs, move abroad, or get promoted, their updated details often do not reach the university or even their classmates. This valuable connection should not be lost simply due to lack of communication.
To address this, we need a dedicated Alumni Database Portal on the university website.
This is very important for establishing connections and for better career. Now details of placement and salary structure of passed out graduates is very much required and it is important for good ranking of the university.
According to the current data, 42 batches of B.F.Sc. students have graduated from TNJFU. The total number of graduates is 1,741. Among them, 904 are currently employed, excluding those pursuing higher studies. About 130 are unemployed, and 369 graduates cannot be traced at present.
This means that the whereabouts of 369 graduates are unknown, simply because we do not have updated information.
Concern about our placement
Today, our alumni are working in different sectors. But the real strength of an alumni network appears when graduates move into diverse areas such as Govt organisations, administrative service, industry, entrepreneurship, and international organisations.
Industry placement, overseas employment and start-ups/entrepreneurship are important parameters for institution visibility and enhance the link and further placement of young graduates.
At present, the data shows that only about 10% of our graduates are placed in industry, 5% are working in international organisations, and about 5% are entrepreneurs. We need a significant shift in this pattern if we want TNJFU to gain greater visibility and impact.
The mindset to work in industry needs to be created among students.
During the Industry–Institution Summit, around 40 CEOs and industry leaders from across India participated. But interestingly, we found very few of our alumni among them.
If more of our graduates had entered the industry earlier, many of them would have reached leadership positions today. That would have benefited our students greatly and also strengthened the partnership between industry and academia.
During that meeting, one of our students mentioned that low salary is the main reason why fisheries graduates hesitate to join the industry.
One of the senior industry leaders responded with a very important point. He said that many professionals start their careers with modest salaries. Young lawyers and doctors also earn very little at the beginning. But as they gain experience, their opportunities and income grow tremendously.
Strengthening Alumni Engagement
We are currently engaging Alumni those are in contacts for the following:
Mentoring students
Delivering guest lectures and webinars
Providing internship opportunities
Supporting career guidance and networking
Encouraging startup and entrepreneurship
We need a panel of Alumni expert for utilising them effectively based on the need of different institutions.
Financial strength
Many alumni support their universities by contributing to:
Student scholarships
Research centres
Innovation and incubation facilities
Infrastructure development
I would also like to bring to your attention that in 2022, 15 cents of land was allotted to the alumni to construct an Alumni Guest House in Madhavaram near Chennai. This is a wonderful opportunity, and together we should make this project a reality.
Facilities such as Alumni Guest Houses or other university buildings may also be named after alumni or alumni groups who contribute significantly.
Similarly, facilities like classrooms, incubation facility funded by alumni contributions can be named in honour of the contributors.
5.Alumni connect cell
The cell will be established in University to carry out the above.
Conclusion
Let us continue to nurture this relationship Let us create new opportunities for the younger generations who will soon become part of this proud alumni family.
Thank you all for being here today. And once again, welcome home.
Thank you.
Dr.P. Issac Jayakumar, Deputy Director of Fisheries (Rtd), Department of Fisheries and Fishermen welfare, Govt. of Tamil Nadu was the guest of honor. The programme started with students cultural events and ended with the volleyball trophy among the alumni team divided in to Dolphin and Shark Teams at the playground of this institute. Dolphin team won the volleyball trophy under the captainship of Dr. S. Athithan. All staff and students of this institute were attended and graced the occasion.
Dr.S.A. Shanmugam, Dean i/c, Fisheries College and Research Institute, Thoothukudi organized the programme and welcomed the gathering for events, Dr. F. Parthiban, Sports Secretary, and Mr. C. Sudhan, AFCA- General secretary coordinated the entire programme Dr.D.Natarajan, Asst. Director of Physical Education facilitated the sports activities.
