Kochi: The ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) has submitted a set of comprehensive policy recommendations aimed at harnessing the potential of India’s marine resources. Among the proposals is the introduction of the Marine Fishery Act, a central legislation designed to regulate fishing beyond territorial waters and establish a framework for sustainable practices.
The suggestions were formally presented by Dr. A Gopalakrishnan, Director of CMFRI, during a high-level national workshop organized by NITI Aayog at CMFRI in Kochi. Dr. Gopalakrishnan emphasized the need for this proposed Act to address the existing policy and legislative vacuum in regulating fishing activities in areas beyond territorial waters.
A key aspect of the recommendations involves the institutionalization of regular stock assessments for marine fishery resources. Dr. Gopalakrishnan highlighted the importance of maintaining the health status of these resources, particularly in the context of WTO subsidy negotiations and other national and international discussions.
In response to the recent discourse on the certification of Indian marine fisheries, CMFRI suggested the formulation of a national guideline for the eco-labelling of marine fishery resources. The institute stressed the importance of regulating private investments to protect the livelihoods of small-scale fishers and entrepreneurs in the post-harvest sector.
The proposal also addresses the need for streamlining open sea mariculture, with an emphasis on sustainability and equality in determining ownership and operatorship formats to scale up mariculture activities. Additionally, the implementation of AI-mediated automated mechanisms for landing estimation, vessel tracking through Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS), and analytics of sub-stock-level information was included in the comprehensive set of recommendations.
Dr. J K Jena, Deputy Director General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), emphasized the necessity for India to achieve sustainable production from coastal waters and enhanced production from offshore waters. He noted that one approach to intensify capture fish production is the exploitation of oceanic and deep-sea resources, which are yet to be fully tapped.