Fisheries Sector in India - UPSC

Fisheries Sector in India

As the third-largest fish producer and the second-largest aquaculture producer globally, India recognizes the significance of the fisheries and aquaculture industry.

The Indian Blue Revolution has led to a major improvement in the fishing and aquaculture industries. The industries are regarded as sunrise sectors and are anticipated to have a big impact on the Indian economy.

In the recent past, Indian fisheries has witnessed a paradigm shift from marine dominated fisheries to inland fisheries, with the latter emerging as a major contributor of fish production from 36% in the mid-1980 to 70% in the recent past.

The fish production reached an all-time high of 16.25 MMT during FY 2021-22 with marine exports touching Rs. 57,586 Crores.

Top Producing States

Andhra Pradesh is the largest producer of fish in India followed by West Bengal.

Current Challenges

Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing: IUU fishing exacerbates overfishing and undermines the sustainability of the sector.

IUU fishing involves activities such as fishing without proper licenses, using banned gear, and disregarding catch limits. Weak monitoring and surveillance systems make it difficult to combat this problem effectively.

Inadequate Infrastructure and Technology: Outdated fishing vessels, gear, and processing facilities hinder the efficiency and productivity of the sector. Insufficient cold storage and transportation infrastructure result in post-harvest losses.

Limited access to modern fishing technology, such as fish finders and GPS navigation systems, restricts the ability to locate fish stocks accurately.

Climate Change and Environmental Degradation: Rising sea temperatures, ocean acidification, and changing currents have a profound impact on marine ecosystems and fish populations.

Climate change leads to shifts in fish distribution, reduced productivity, and increased vulnerability to diseases. Pollution, habitat destruction, and coastal development further degrade marine ecosystems.

Socio-Economic Issues

The fisheries sector in India is characterized by a large number of small-scale and artisanal fishers who face multiple socio-economic challenges.

Low incomes, lack of access to credit and insurance, and inadequate social security measures contribute to the vulnerability of fishing communities.

Gender disparities and the marginalization of women in fisheries also pose challenges.

Market Access and Value Chain Inefficiencies: Despite India's significant fish production, there are challenges in accessing domestic and international markets.

Poor post-harvest handling, limited value addition, and inadequate market linkages result in reduced profitability for fishers.

Initiatives related to Fisheries Sector:

Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana
Palk Bay Scheme
Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF)
Sagar Parikrama Initiative

Sagar Parikrama’ program envisages to cover the maritime States/UTs in a phased manner. The journey began on March 5th, 2022, from Mandvi, Gujarat.

The journey focuses on bridging the gaps in the expectations of fisher communities, developing fishing villages, and upgrading infrastructure such as fishing harbors and fish landing centers.

Phases of Sagar Parikrama

Phase I: The journey covered three locations in Gujarat - Mandavi, Okha-Dwarka, and Porbandar.

Phase II: Seven locations were covered in Mangrol, Veraval, Diu, Jafrabad, Surat, Daman, and Valsad.

Phase III: Coastal areas of northern Maharashtra, including Satpati, Vasai, Versova, New Ferry Wharf (Bhaucha Dhakka), and Sasson Dock in Mumbai, were part of this phase.

Phase IV: Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts in Karnataka were covered during this phase.

Upcoming Phase V: Phase V of Sagar Parikrama will cover six locations: Raigad, Ratnagiri, and Sindhudurg Districts in Maharashtra, and Vasco, Maorugoa, and Canacona in Goa.

Maharashtra, with its extensive coastline of 720 km, has immense untapped potential in the fisheries sector.

Trouts

Mahaseer, Snow trout and Indian hill trout are the principle indigenous cold water fish species inhabiting the mountain waters of India.

Snow troutsare found in snow fed streams of Assam, Eastern Himalayas, Sikkim, Nepal, Kashmir.

Normally trout is a fish of perennial mountain streams of clear cool water of high oxygen content and thrives in lakes also.

As a habit, it breeds in shallow slow-moving waters with gravely bottom; but because of high mortality in natural streams and difficulty of collecting the young ones, the fish is usually bred artificially in hatcheries.