On World Fisheries Day, the Centre launched a number of projects for the marine and inland aquaculture sectors on Thursday, November 21, 2024. Union Minister for Fisheries Rajiv Ranjan Singh said the initiatives are aimed at transforming the fisheries sector and strengthening India’s blue economy.
One of the major schemes is the fifth ‘Marine Fisheries Census 2025’, which the Ministry hopes to complete in 45 days with the help of 3,500 staff. The census, for the first time, will be fully digital, leveraging mobile apps and virtual servers to collect and process data in real-time, the Centre said, making the process 80% faster than before.
The census will cover 1.2 million households across India’s coastline, from the northernmost village of Lakhpat in Gujarat on the West Coast to the northernmost point in North 24 Parganas, West Bengal on the east coast and from Bitra Island in Lakshadweep to Campbell Bay in Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Data on household sizes, socio-economic status, and fisherfolk engagement will be collected during the census.
Another major scheme launched is the ‘National Plan of Action on Sharks’ to help sustainable shark management. This is a follow-up of the International Plan of Action for Sharks, a voluntary instrument adopted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 1999.
“The plan provides for improving data collection, increased resource allocation, coordination among maritime state departments, capacity building in species identification, habitat mapping to aid conservation efforts and utilising traditional knowledge of fishermen,” the Ministry said.
India’s endorsement of the Regional Plan of Action on IUU Fishing to prevent illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in the Bay of Bengal Region jointly in cooperation with Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Maldives has also been announced at the function.
The International Maritime Organization-Food and Agricultural Organization GloLitter Partnership Project to combat marine plastic litter, and Standard Operating Procedures for retrofitted LPG kits to promote energy-efficient, low-cost marine fishing fuels were also launched on Thursday. “
Additionally, the New Single Window System by the Coastal Aquaculture Authority was launched to enable online registration of coastal aquaculture farms. A signed MoU was also exchanged to implement a framework for the Voluntary Carbon Market, harnessing carbon-sequestering practices in the sector,” the Ministry said.