Prof. Mudnakudu Nandeesha, widely and affectionately known as “Nandeesha” is a special officer at Tamil Nadu Fisheries University in India, recipient of the World Aquaculture Society fellow award in 2012, board chairman for the Indian Branch of the Asian Fisheries Society and Aquaculture without Frontiers, and member of the Best Aquaculture Practices Standards Oversight Committee at the Global Aquaculture Alliance.

Nandeesha recently suffered a massive heart attack. Due to complications, he is now hospitalized in critical condition in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. He is on a heart/lung machine and dialysis and may need a heart transplant. The cost of his ongoing treatment has surpassed the resources available to him and his family.

Aquaculture without Frontiers, World Aquaculture Society, Global Aquaculture Alliance, Asian Fisheries Society and Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific are therefore collecting monetary donations to assist Nandeesha.

To donate, please follow this link to the WAS store and select “Nandeesha Medical Assistance Fund”. Choose an amount and provide credit card information to complete your donation.

To donate by check, please make it payable to the World Aquaculture Society, include a note that it is for the Nandeesha Medical Assistance Fund, and send it via postal mail to:

Nandeesha Medical Assistance Fund
c/o World Aquaculture Society
143 J.M. Parker Coliseum
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, LA 70803 (USA)

Nandeesha has three decades of experience in aquaculture teaching, research and development in India, Cambodia and Bangladesh, with nearly a decade at the grass-roots level on projects supported by OXFAM,CARE, FAO, World Bank, NACA and JICA. He has been a tireless advocate for small-scale farmers, gender issues, and rural development in the region.

Just weeks before his heart attack, he participated in a panel discussion on labor and social accountability during GAA’s GOAL 2012 conference in Thailand. Nandeesha was also acting as event chairman for the December 4-6 Aquatic Resources for Eradication of Hunger and Malnutrition symposium in Mangalore, Karnataka, India, when his health failed.

Please consider making a donation to help Nandeesha get back to his passion for applying aquaculture to alleviate hunger and improve social conditions.