ENSURING SUSTAINABILITY OF INDIAN MARINE FISHERIES THROUGH MANAGEMENT INTERVENTIONS

It is well recognized that marine fisheries resources in many parts of the world are under tremendous pressure of over harvest and impact of other anthropogenic activities. Marine fisheries in India, beset with problems of over capitalization, manifest by increased operational expenses and reduced catch rates, is at a cross roads seeking proper direction and guidance. Sustainability is the basis of any natural resource targeted for commercial exploitation and management of marine fisheries in that respect pose many challenges in view of the migratory behaviour of the fish stocks and fish shoals, differential dynamics of fish stocks and varying nature of their vulnerability and accessibility to many types of fishing craft and gear. Resolving the sustainability concerns is still a difficult task as the resources are invisible and direct estimates of the stock size is impossible.

However stock abundance and its portends can be worked out by a constant, systematic and objective monitoring of the resource wealth siphoned off and its quantification. Thus a lot of primary data on the quantum and nature of resources landed and application of specifically designed models have an indefatigable role in designing approaches for enduring sustainability. Such management interventions have to be rooted on recent and relevant primary data on the fishing effort, catch or yield of various species from the different types of craft/gear and its seasonalities, species compositions and ratios, data on lengths, maturity, recruitment sizes, measures of natural and fishing mortalities and other elements of populations dynamics which are in vogue and which in turn help in forecasting short and long term fluctuations. Hence any contemporary inquiry on stock related problems must address issues related to precise and timely generation of these information on a continuing basis from all over the coast ensuring coverage of all major marine fisheries and major landing centres. The analysis of such massive data by developing appropriate software leading to decision support paradigms would enable fishery planners / managers to develop national and regional strategies orchestrating a quantum leap from an open access to a regulated regime for ensuring sustainability.

The research endeavours of Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute have been pivoted around this vision of developing appropriate initiatives which will not only help India manage its marine fisheries on an information and knowledge based platform, but also place the country at par with most developed countries which are able to manage their fishery in a scientific manner. These outputs will also help India redeem its the international commitments made as part of its endorsement of compliance to the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (CCRF). Thus the basic research on stock, fishing effort, landings, trends, population analysis and modeling is vital for the future of India’s marine fisheries and its management. CMFRI in its seventh decade of existence is further geared to address this issue through its basic and strategic research on marine fish stocks.