The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) has taken part in a pioneering project of the Union Department of Fisheries to deploy artificial reefs in a total of 3,477 fishing villages in the country with the aim of promoting sustainable fisheries and livelihood, according to a communication.
As part of the ambitious project, a nationwide campaign has been launched in association with the respective State governments and with technical support from the CMFRI, starting from Kerala where artificial reefs have been proposed in 220 villages.
In the first phase of the project, five pre-stakeholder workshops were conducted from Tuesday to Friday for 42 villages in Thiruvananthapuram district, providing a platform to educate and engage village-level fishermen leaders about the potential of artificial reefs in transforming the marine fishing landscape. Site identification for the deployment of reefs was finalised during the meetings held at Poonthura, Vettukad, Perumathura, Kayikkara, and Vizhinjam under the organisation of Kerala State Coastal Area Development Corporation Limited (KSCADC), the operational agency in Kerala, the communication said.
An artificial reef is a sheltered human-built structure, placed on the seabed as a substitute for natural habitats. With a fixed scientific design, it functions as a self-sustaining production system on the seabed. The project is under the Prime Minister’s Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) scheme, with 60% funding from the Centre and 40% from the State governments.
According to the CMFRI, a 17% to 30% increase in fisheries was observed from locations where the reefs were already deployed. The technology has been deployed in 132 locations with a total area of 3.7 lakh square metres across the country, including Kerala under the leadership of the CMFRI.
For the last few years, the CMFRI has been successfully undertaking the installation of artificial reefs in the coastal waters of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, and Kerala on an experimental basis under the leadership of Principal Scientist Joe K. Kizhakudan. The positive outcome of the project in terms of enhanced fish availability to small-scale fishers at lower operation costs was instrumental in prompting the Central government to expand the technology across the country.
“The CMFRI has developed protocols for site selection, design, fabrication, deployment, and impact assessment of this innovative technology,” said CMFRI Director A. Gopalakrishnan.
He cited its benefits, pointing out that artificial reefs would help restore the marine environment and boost coastal fish production. “It will discourage bottom trawling in the near shore areas, helping the marine environment regenerate and small-scale fishers get a higher catch,” said Dr. Gopalakrishnan.
According to the CMFRI, over 300 species coexist in a settled artificial reef habitat. The commercial varieties being attracted to the reef include breams, groupers, snappers, perches, cobia, sea bass, rabbit fish, silver biddies, seer fish, barracuda, mackerel, trevallies, and queen fish.