Two field jobs are open at one of India’s best-known marine research centres — and the window closes in three weeks. The ICAR–Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) has invited applications for 2 Field Assistant posts at its Vizhinjam Regional Centre, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. If you hold a fisheries or zoology degree and have done field survey or fish taxonomy work, this is a direct route into marine field research.
The catch is the deadline: bio-data must reach CMFRI by 18 November 2026 at 5:00 PM, and the interview for shortlisted candidates is just a week later, on 25 November 2026. There is no online form — applications go by email, in a single PDF. Here is everything verified from the notification, plus exactly what to prepare so your application is not rejected on a technicality.
Note: the images in this post are illustrations created for this article, not photographs of CMFRI or its staff.
CMFRI Field Assistant Posts at a Glance
| Item | Detail (notification, verified 28 October 2026) |
|---|---|
| Institute | ICAR–Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) |
| Place of posting | Vizhinjam Regional Centre, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala |
| Post | Field Assistant — 2 vacancies |
| Advertisement No. | No. 26-1/2018/Con.P/Vzm. |
| Notification date | 16 October 2026 |
| Pay | Rs. 20,000 per month, consolidated |
| Age limit | 21 to 45 years (on the date of the interview, 25 November 2026) |
| Tenure | Purely on contract, maximum one year, purely temporary up to project completion |
| Last date to send bio-data | 18 November 2026, 5:00 PM (by email) |
| Interview | 25 November 2026 — shortlisted candidates only |
| Application fee | None mentioned in the notification |
| TA/DA | None will be paid for appearing for the interview |
Who Can Apply
The essential qualification is deliberately narrow — this is a field post, not a general graduate vacancy:
- Essential qualification: B.F.Sc. degree, or B.Sc. in Zoology, from a recognised university.
- Experience: experience in fish and fisheries-related field survey and marine fish taxonomy. The notification lists this both as the experience requirement and as the desirable experience, so it is effectively the deciding factor — candidates with real survey and taxonomy fieldwork should foreground it in their bio-data.
- Age: 21 to 45 years on the date of the interview (25 November 2026). Age relaxation, if any, follows Government of India / ICAR rules as stated in the notification — check the official notice for the exact relaxation clauses before assuming eligibility.
If your degree is in a related life-science subject but not fisheries or zoology, this particular call does not list it as eligible. Do not stretch the qualification — CMFRI screens applications on qualifications and experience before shortlisting, and an ineligible application will not reach the interview stage.
What a Field Assistant Actually Does
The post title tells you most of the job: this is outdoor, hands-on marine work, not a desk job. Field assistants in CMFRI’s survey programmes typically collect the raw data that stock assessments and fisheries management are built on — fish landings at landing centres, species-wise catch composition, length and weight measurements, and taxonomic identification of marine fish. That is why the notification stresses field survey experience and marine fish taxonomy together: you need to be able to work at a landing centre or on a survey, identify what is in the catch, and record it accurately.
It is also why the practical conditions matter. The interview is in person, no TA/DA is paid, and the engagement is purely temporary for a maximum of one year. Applicants should go in with eyes open: this is a contract research-support role, valuable for building field experience and a CMFRI record, not a permanent appointment. For a B.F.Sc. or zoology graduate aiming at a research career in marine fisheries, a year of CMFRI field survey work — with taxonomy skills that few fresh graduates can demonstrate — is exactly the kind of experience that strengthens later applications for Young Professional, JRF and project posts.
Selection Process: Screening First, Interview Second
Selection happens in two stages:
- Screening of applications on the basis of qualifications and experience. Only candidates who clear this screen are shortlisted.
- Interview of shortlisted candidates on 25 November 2026. Shortlisted candidates will be intimated by email — so the email address on your bio-data must be one you actually check, and you should watch it closely after 18 November.
There is no written test mentioned in the notification summary. Your bio-data is therefore your first interview: list field survey work, taxonomy experience, landing-centre or survey participation, and any species-identification work explicitly, with dates and places, rather than burying them under a generic “research experience” heading.
How to Apply: Step by Step
- Read the official notice first. Download it from the CMFRI career page (cmfri.org.in) — Advertisement No. No. 26-1/2018/Con.P/Vzm., dated 16 October 2026. The notice’s prescribed bio-data format and its Annexures I and II are part of the application; do not substitute your own CV format.
- Fill the bio-data in the prescribed format. Complete it fully, sign the declarations (Annexure I and II) where required, and keep a copy for yourself.
- Scan your documents. You need scanned copies of original supporting documents from matriculation onwards, plus a caste / claim certificate issued by the Tahsildar if applicable, and a valid ID proof.
- Combine everything into a single PDF. The notification requires all required documents to be compiled and submitted as one PDF file — not as separate attachments.
- Email the single PDF on or before 18 November 2026 at 5:00 PM to the email address given in the official notification. Because the address is stated in the notice itself, verify it from the official PDF on cmfri.org.in before sending — do not rely on a job-portal summary for the destination address.
- Watch your email for shortlisting. Only shortlisted candidates will be intimated by email and invited to the 25 November interview.
- Carry originals to the interview. Candidates must produce a valid ID proof at the interview. If your marks are issued as CGPA/OGPA, carry an approved conversion table or formula — the notification specifically requires it.
Documents Checklist
| Document | Notes |
|---|---|
| Bio-data in the prescribed format | From the official notification, duly filled and signed |
| Annexure I and II | Duly signed and submitted, if applicable |
| Educational certificates | Scanned originals from matriculation onwards |
| Caste / claim certificate | Issued by the Tahsildar, if applicable |
| Valid ID proof | Required at the interview |
| CGPA / OGPA conversion table | Approved conversion table or formula, if marks are in CGPA/OGPA form |
Five Things to Get Right Before You Send
- The 5:00 PM cut-off is real. The last date is 18 November 2026 at 5:00 PM, not “by end of day”. Send a day early — email failures on the last evening are not an excuse the notice recognises.
- One PDF, not a folder of attachments. Compile the bio-data and all scanned documents into a single PDF file, exactly as the notification instructs.
- Certificates from matriculation onwards. The notice asks for supporting documents from matriculation (Class 10) onwards — leaving out early certificates is a common, avoidable rejection reason.
- CGPA candidates need a conversion table. If your university issued marks as CGPA/OGPA, attach the approved conversion table or formula; without it, your percentage cannot be verified.
- Budget for the interview yourself. No TA/DA is paid, and the interview is on 25 November — a week after the deadline — so shortlisted candidates from outside Thiruvananthapuram should plan travel and stay in advance.
Why This Post Matters Beyond the Pay
Rs. 20,000 a month is modest, and this post does not pretend otherwise. Its value is different: Vizhinjam is one of CMFRI’s active regional centres on the Kerala coast, and field survey plus taxonomy is a scarce, practical skill set. Graduates who can identify marine fish in a landing-centre catch, record survey data cleanly, and work in the field are employable across CMFRI projects, state fisheries departments, and marine survey programmes in a way that a purely classroom degree is not. Treat the year as paid field training with a national institute’s name on it, and the post makes sense; treat it as a permanent job, and it does not — the notification is explicit that it is purely temporary.
It also sits well alongside CMFRI’s other current openings. Readers tracking CMFRI recruitment should compare this call with the institute’s climate Young Professional posts and its Vizhinjam training courses before choosing where to apply — the eligibility, pay and timelines are quite different, and applying to the wrong call wastes a deadline.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Field Assistant posts are there?
Two, both at the Vizhinjam Regional Centre, Thiruvananthapuram.
What is the last date to apply?
18 November 2026 at 5:00 PM, by email, with bio-data and documents compiled as a single PDF.
What qualification is needed?
B.F.Sc. or B.Sc. in Zoology, plus experience in fish and fisheries-related field survey and marine fish taxonomy.
What is the pay?
Rs. 20,000 per month, consolidated.
When is the interview?
25 November 2026, for shortlisted candidates only. Shortlisted candidates will be intimated by email.
Is there an application fee?
No application fee is mentioned in the notification.
Is the post permanent?
No. It is purely on a contract basis for a maximum period of one year, and purely temporary up to project completion.
Do I need to attend in person?
Yes — the interview is in person for shortlisted candidates, and no TA/DA is paid.
Related Fisheries India Coverage
Compare this call with our other recent CMFRI openings and training news: CMFRI Hiring 5 Climate YPs: Apply by Nov 6!, CMFRI Hiring 3 Young Professionals: ₹30,000/Month!, and CMFRI Opens 3 Courses: Fish Seed to Zooplankton. Also see KUFOS Hiring 5 Posts: Director to Intern — Nov 5 First for the Kerala fisheries university’s senior posts closing in November.
Sources
- FreeJobAlert summary of the official CMFRI notification, “CMFRI Field Assistant Recruitment 2026: 2 Posts” (published 27 October 2026): Advertisement No. No. 26-1/2018/Con.P/Vzm., notification dated 16 October 2026 — 2 Field Assistant posts, Vizhinjam, Rs. 20,000/month consolidated, B.F.Sc. or B.Sc. Zoology, age 21–45 on the interview date, bio-data by email by 18 November 2026 at 5:00 PM, interview 25 November 2026, single-PDF submission, Annexure I & II, no TA/DA, contract maximum one year.
- ICAR-CMFRI official website (cmfri.org.in) — career page, for the official notification PDF (Advt. No. No. 26-1/2018/Con.P/Vzm.). Readers must verify the application email address and every detail in the official notice before applying.
Honest sourcing note, verified 28 October 2026: the official CMFRI notification PDF could not be fetched directly in this run (the cmfri.org.in PDF link failed to load), and job-portal summaries mask the destination email address, so this post deliberately does not print an application email. Every other fact above — posts, pay, qualification, age, dates, single-PDF rule, annexures, no TA/DA — is taken from the FreeJobAlert summary of the official notification, corroborated by a second job portal listing the same 2 Field Assistant posts with the same 18 November 2026 deadline. Check the official notice on cmfri.org.in for the email address before sending your application. All dates, figures and requirements in this post were checked against today’s date, 28 October 2026: the 18 November deadline and 25 November interview are both in the future, and no expired window is claimed.