The CMFRI won the Best Annual Report award (2020) in the category of ICAR large institutes while Dr Anusree M, a PhD scholar at CMFRI bagged the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for PG Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Research in Agricultural and Allied Sciences for 2021.

The CMFRI annual report contains key information on the institute's research activities and outputs in a year.  This is the second time within seven years the CMFRI's annual report is selected for the honor.

Dr Anusree was designated for the award for her doctoral thesis on the topic 'Characterization and Evaluation of Small Molecular Bioactives and Polysaccharides from the Phaeophytic Marine Macroalga Sargassum wightii (family Sargassaceae) as Defense Metabolites against Oxidative Stress-Induced Diseases'.

Her research works involved in developing potential pharmacophores and nutraceuticals with anti-dyslipidemic, anti-diabetic, and anti-hypertensive activities from seaweeds, under the guidance of Dr Kajal Chakraborty, Principal Scientist of CMFRI. The award includes a cash prize of Rs. 50,000, citation, certificate, and a silver medal.

The CMFRI was selected for the awards from among 114 institutes in India under the ICAR.  The institute had won the Sardar Patel Outstanding ICAR institutions award, the highest award of the ICAR, in 2020.