The ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) has launched an awareness campaign to help fishers in India manage the effects of climate change.
The campaign is being run under the National Innovation in Climate Resilient Agriculture project and will see scientists help communities understand the science behind climate change, its effects and strategies to reduce its impact.
Scientists will explain how increasing sea temperatures are forcing many fish stocks to cooler waters, leading to a shift in distribution and a reduction in catch. Rising temperatures are also leading to a decline in oxygen levels in inland waters which can lead make fish susceptible to disease.
During a recent interactive session at Kuzhippilly and Chellanam – two villages in Ernakulam district – fishers the issues they face such as a lack of marketing facilities and poor catch.
In order to address the issue of reduced shelf life owing to increasing temperature, CMFRI distributed 37 ice boxes to the fisherwomen in Chellanam. They were also provided with gillnets, cast nets, pots and seabass fish seeds during the programme.
