The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) will soon begin work on establishment of artificial reefs along Puducherry’s coastline to facilitate fish breeding along the coast, and to help traditional fishermen improve their livelihood.
The estimated cost of the project, to be entirely funded by the Centre, is ₹4.34 crore. The Public Works Department (PWD) has invited tenders to implement the project which is being executed under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY).
The plan is to erect 14 artificial reefs along the Puducherry coastline this year, and subsequently, add another 25 reefs next year. The project will then be extended based on the requirement of the Union Territory.
CMFRI has been experimenting with artificial reefs for over two decades. Hundreds of artificial reefs have already been sunken along the coasts of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat where they have proved to be successful by increasing fish breeding.
A team of officials from CMFRI, led by Joe K. Kizhakudan, principal scientist and head of CMFRI, Visakhapatnam, who is the consultant and principal head-cum-investigator of the national programme on artificial reefs, inspected the coastal hamlets of Periya Kalapet, Chinna Kalapet, Ganapathichettikulam and Pillaichavady in 2023. The team held stakeholder workshops providing a platform to educate and engage fishermen about the potential of artificial reefs in transforming the marine fishing landscape in the Union Territory.
According to a senior official, “The project envisages installation of 14 reef modules, including different varieties off the coast of Periya Kalapet, Chinna Kalapet, Ganapathichettikulam and Pillaichavady as part of coastal protection measures and to facilitate fish breeding.”
“The project is meant to enhance overall fish availability off the coast and improve the livelihood of fishermen. The sites for the deployment of the reefs will be finalised by the Puducherry government and the CMFRI. The project is on stream and the works will commence once the tenders are awarded.”
Official sources said the reefs would be placed at the identified locations, five nautical miles from the shore, where large fishing vessels do not venture, and at the wave-breaking zone.
According to a senior official of CMFRI, “This reef is an artificial structure. It creates the natural prevention of ground flow and helps invertebrates and small larvae to aggregate. They get shelter, build a colony or a primary settlement and provide the base for propagation of resident populations within sheltered structures. This is an effect of ecosystem building, and this model has been used in several parts of the world, including France, Italy, Japan and the U.S.”