Indian Fisheries Sector

•Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) 1977: Oceanic resources estimated at 2.02 million sq. km, comprising 0.86 million sq. km (42.6 % of the total) on the west coast, 0.56 million sq. km (27.7%) on the east coast and 0.60 million sq. km (29.7%) around the Andaman and Nicobar Islands .

•The continental shelf area: 530 000 sq. km 71 percent area in Arabian Sea (west coast) and 29 percent in the Bay of Bengal (east coast).

•Long coastline of 8 118 km and an equally large area underestuaries, backwaters, lagoons, etc, which is highly amenable for developing capture as well as culture fisheries.

India responsible to conserve, develop and optimally exploit the marine living resources within this

Area

Fisheries Sector Overview• In terms of global ranking, in 2008, India was second to China in

total fish production; sixth in marine and inland capture fisheries (after China, Peru, Indonesia, USA, Japan); third in inland capture fisheries (after China and Bangladesh) and second in aquaculture (after China).

• With a vast production potential, particularly in inland fisheries (mainly reservoirs) and aquaculture, the sector has shown an average growth of about 6 percent over the Five-Year Plan periods.

• In case of marine fisheries, production has increased from 0.53 mmt in 1950-51 to 3.220 mmt in 2010 -11.

• In the inland sector, the growth has been steady, increasing from 0.218 mmt during 1950-51 to about 5.068 mmt in 2010-11, with an annual growth rate of 4.21 percent

Marine Fisheries• 3,288 marine fishing villages and 1,511 marine fish landing centres in 9

maritime states and 2 union territories (CMFRI Census 2010) • Marine fisheries constitute a valuable source of food and employment, and is

a net contributor to the balance of payment. • The Indian marine waters harbour around 1 707 species of fish, of which about

200 species are commercially significant. • The estimated landings from the marine capture fisheries stand at 3.220 mmt

(CMFRI, 2010), with a growth rate of 4.62 percent• The gross value of the marine fish landings at the landing centre level is

estimated at Rs. 19,753 Cr. and at the retail level at Rs.28 ,511 Cr. (SEETTD, 2011)

• Marine fisheries have progressively increased by nearly six times during the past 50 years.

• Gujarat has emerged as the leading producer of marine fish in the country during 2009-2010, followed by Kerala, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.

• The total marine fisherfolk population was about 4 million comprising in 864,550 families.

• About 38% marine fisherfolk were engaged in active fishing with 85% of them having full time engagement.

• Nearly 61% of the fishermen families were under BPL category.

Inland Fisheries• The inland capture fisheries resources of the country comprise a

maze of rivers, canals, estuaries, floodplain lakes, wetlands, lagoons, upland lakes and reservoirs.

• The inland fisheries resources provide full time vocation to 1.24 million inland fishers, and 3.4 mmt of annual fish production.

• India is the third largest producer of inland fish in the world (after China and Bangladesh) and the sector plays a great role in nutritional security and employment potential.

• The sector is also an important source of ancillary jobs for the rural population, especially in marketing, retailing, transportation, etc.

• Though fisheries has been recognized as a thrust area in the successive Five-Year Plans, there has been little attention to the development of inland fisheries resources.

Small Scale Fisheries• Small-scale fisheries contribute more than half of the world’s marine and

inland fish catch, almost all of which is destined for direct human consumption. These fisheries employ more than 90 percent of the world’s 45 million fishers and they support another 84 million people employed in jobs associated with fish processing, distribution and marketing.

• More than 95 percent of small-scale fishers and related workers in post-harvest sectors live in developing countries.

• Among women, the major fishing-related activities are marketing (41.8 percent), labour (18.4 percent) and curing/processing (18 percent). Further, as many as 73.6 percent of those engaged in marketing are women, while 75.7 percent of those in curing and processing are also women. It is apparent that women dominate marketing and processing activities in marine fisheries (2005 NMFC)

• In spite of their significant contributions to the global fish food supplies, small-scale fishing communities live and work in very difficult conditions

Challenges faced by small scale fisheries

Land Based:• Last decade has seen increasing investment by other sectors on coast

—industries, power, ports & jetties, tourism, real estate, mining, etc.• “Ghetoisation” fishing communities forced into increasingly smaller

spaces• Development of any sector on land adding to constraints in fishing-

agrarian development, urbanisation, industrialisation• Pollution from land based sources on increase• Decline in nutrients reaching sea due to dams; disconnect between

sea and estuary due to sand bar• Severe erosion due to coastal structures• Silt deposition on near shore fishing grounds• Coastal degradation and pollution may soon over take over fishing as

reason for depletion of coastal fisheries

Challenges faced by small scale fisheriesResource Based:

• Resource Depletion due to over-fishing as well as unsustainable fishing practices

• Artisanal fishermen in most areas having to go deeper and finding new grounds and resources to survive

• Race to fish, continuous increases in scale and investment without commensurate increase in total catches

• Depletion of coastal waters and cut-throat competition between units is driving investment and continuous scaling up or change of fishing methods

• Bulk catching methods—officially banned—like pair trawling and ring seines have increased in last few years

• Distribution of catch between the different sectors has become more inequitable

Challenges faced by Women in the Sector• Decreased spaces for fishing leading to at least temporary

relocation- fishermen can move but the women are house-bound

• Shift from beach based to harbour based landings promoting larger volumes of transactions

• Centralised and/or harbour based trading/ auction centres promoting larger players

• Decreasing spaces for small time players, especially women fish vendors both in market places as well as trading activities

• Increased structural/organised interventions in pre and post-harvest activities also decreasing spaces for women

Changes in the Macro- perspective• Terminal (?) decline of the sector – aspirations of the next

generation not related with artisanal or small scale fishing• Trans-boundary issues - Hostile and risky environments• Green Issue- Marine Protected Areas• Sweet Deals for alternate uses of beach property- leading to

relocation, less engagement with nature- gentleman fisher• Over-dependance on technology- dying traditional and

indigenous wisdom• Alienation of small-scale fishers due to scale of investment and

increasing use of technology• Licences for foreign trawlers• Land based development, increasing investments in hard

structures along the coast (a port for every 32 kms of coast line)

Ways forwardReport of the Working Group of the National Planning Commission

recommends:• Promoting deep sea fishing• Upgradation and conversion of vessels in keeping with this focus• Capacity building and training in hygenic post-harvest technologies,

especially in deep sea fishing• Reducing By-catch• Promoting Habitat conservation• Regulations to be in place for access to water and resources• Promotion of mariculture and coastall aquacullture, sea cage

fisheries• Building adaptive capacities of the communities in facing

challenges of climate change

Ways forwardFAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries in 1995• Fisheries Management Plan• Legal and Administrative Framework in place• Ensure Compliance• Ensure consensus of all stakeholders• Monitoring and surveillance• Information • Research on Conservation and management

Space in Policy making - Voluntary Guidelines for securing sustainable small-scale fisheries in the context of food security and poverty eradication - as a complement to the 1995 FAO Code of Conduct

• These Guidelines have the potential of providing a useful tool to create policy spaces for the small-scale fisheries subsector for reversing its marginalization.

Strengthening Local Traditional Governance• Strengthen and build community capacity to have greater control over their lives & livelihoods

Marketing, credit, insurance Manage resources Protect their rights Need to build up a strong, socially aware community

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