[1] He is recognized for making critical contributions to the rapid growth of aquaculture[2][1] by applying research to key bottlenecks to fish production.

In India, he conducted successful pioneering field tests of Ovaprim, an ovulating agent, under different agro-climatic conditions to help remove a critical early barrier for freshwater fish breeding.

[4][5] Throughout his career, he was in the forefront of initiatives to upgrade the professionalism of fisheries and aquaculture experts,[6] and inspired peers and students in critical new directions.

[7] His professional career, which began in the 1980s, made significant contributions during the important early rapid development of Indian, Asian and world aquaculture.

[8] For Indian major carps (see catla, mrigal and rohu), of which about 5 million tonnes are now produced annually (compared to just over 200 thousand tonnes in 1980),[9][10][11] Nandeesha established critical improved breeding and seed production approaches,[12][13][14][15][16] and feed and nutrition regimes,[17][18][19] and began his promotion of women's roles and the need for gender equality in fisheries and aquaculture.

[22] When working in Cambodia and Bangladesh, Nandeesha was motivated by the conditions he witnessed to create more inclusive aquaculture development concerned with helping farmers and their households in poverty eradication and food security and nutrition,[5][23] and in building human resources.

[28] Posthumously, his contributions were recognized by special tributes from his peers,[29][30][31][32] and an FAO sponsored course in advanced fisheries and aquaculture economics named in his honor.

He returned briefly to India in 1997–98 as an Associate Professor in the Department of Aquaculture, College of Fisheries, University of Agricultural Sciences, Mangalore, before moving back to development work, this time in Bangladesh.

[28] Several high-profile aquaculture experts, research leaders and educators considered Nandeesha's personal influence on them to have inspired their careers.

[44] The uptake of this technology was a turning point in the culture of Indian carps, removing a bottleneck in fish breeding for supplying sufficient fry.

[46][47] From the start of his professional career, Nandeesha's driving reason for working in aquaculture was to benefit the farmers and those their products fed.

When he began development assistance work in Cambodia in 1992, he was confronted by people seeking opportunities as they emerged from the ravages of decades of war.

[51] His NGO employer, PADEK (Partnership for Development in Kampuchea) provided a platform for reaching women and helping improve their knowledge and farming performance.

Through his work here, and later from India, on the culture of the giant freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii - also called golda in Bangladesh and India), he made the extremely important point that it was the farmers themselves who first experimented with the integration of giant freshwater prawn into their agricultural systems, i.e. the rice field or gher, in southwest Bangladesh.

[55] He was able to bring in his now considerable knowledge of farming systems, breeds, feeds and sharpen his keen eye for learning from farmers' own innovations.

As a critical strategy in bringing aquaculture to small scale farmers, Nandeesha led field projects and worked through institutions and professional societies to promote gender equity and enhance women's opportunities and recognition.

[59] As he worked on these projects, Nandeesha built an ever-widening set of professional partnerships that eventually created a sustained pathway for raising awareness of women's contributions to fisheries and aquaculture.

[62] The partnerships broadened into a collaborative gender equality platform for researchers, including students, development workers and activists.

AFS, AFSIB, WAS, NACA, FAO, AwF; communications, Farmers as Scientists India (education, societies – AFS-IB, AFS, WAS); Infrastructure improvement (education, accommodation); Mangalore FC, AFSIB, Tripura, TNFU Source:[35] Source:[35] During his career, Nandeesha's work was recognized and he received many awards.

In memory of Nandeesha, it included sponsorship from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization of 8 students from developing countries.