Marine Fisheries in India: UPSC Mains Notes
Why are Marine Fisheries in India in News?
- The Government stated that 91.1% fish stocks assessed during 2022 were found sustainable. The experts raised concerns over inshore ecosystem degradation despite optimistic official sustainability assessments.
Status of Marine Fisheries in India
- Government assessment: CMFRI reported that 91.1% of 135 evaluated fish stocks remained sustainable during 2022.
- FAO assessment: FAO stated most major stocks have reached full exploitation with growing fishing overcapacity.
- Assessment method: CMFRI primarily estimates fish stocks using landing data instead of direct stock assessments.
- Exclusive Economic Zone: Fish availability is estimated across India’s 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone.
- Research concern: Experts favour stock assessments because they directly estimate aquatic life within marine ecosystems.
Challenges Facing Marine Fisheries in India
- Inshore Ecosystem Degradation
- Habitat destruction: Dams, mangrove loss and pollution continue degrading productive coastal breeding and feeding habitats.
- Benthic decline: Scientists describe the inshore environment as severely degraded despite stable fish production figures.
- Mechanised Trawling Expansion
- Unregulated growth: India operates 64,414 mechanised fishing vessels with limited restrictions on fleet expansion.
- Seabed damage: Continuous trawling destroys benthic ecosystems and intensifies conflicts with small-scale fishing communities.
- Foreign origin: Semi-industrial trawling was introduced around 1960 and expanded rapidly across Indian coastal waters.
- Weak Fisheries Governance
- Poor enforcement: The five nautical mile restriction on mechanised fishing lacks effective implementation and monitoring.
- Institutional constraints: Coastal States face inadequate patrol capacity and limited fisheries enforcement infrastructure.
- Limited participation: Fishers remain excluded from meaningful fisheries management and coastal governance processes.
- Policy and Livelihood Concerns
- Deep-sea focus: Government prioritises offshore fishing despite FAO estimating only marginal deep-sea resource potential.
- Palk Bay issue: Mechanised trawlers continue operating in Sri Lankan waters, affecting small-scale fishers and bilateral relations.
Measures for Sustainable Marine Fisheries in India
- Strengthen governance: Improve regulation, monitoring and enforcement across ecologically productive inshore fishing waters.
- Protect ecosystems: Address pollution, mangrove destruction and habitat degradation affecting marine biodiversity.
- Regulate trawling: Reduce excessive mechanised fishing to restore benthic ecosystems and coastal fish populations.
- Enhance participation: Involve fishing communities in fisheries governance and sustainable resource management.
- Improve research: Expand scientific studies on benthic ecosystems for evidence-based fisheries policymaking.
Way Forward for Sustainable Marine Fisheries Governance
- Prioritise inshore waters: Sustainable fisheries require restoring ecologically productive coastal fishing ecosystems.
- Balance development: Fisheries policies should integrate ecological conservation with livelihood security for fishing communities.
- Strengthen institutions: Upgrade federal and State capacities for effective marine fisheries management.
- Promote scientific management: Adopt ecosystem-based assessments to improve long-term fisheries sustainability and governance.
Source: The Hindu
