Centralised legislation is key to harnessing India’s marine wealth, says the country’s fisheries research institute.
The ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) has proposed a range of comprehensive policy suggestions, including regulation that applies beyond territorial waters and regular stock assessments, to promote sustainable practices.
“The government has to institutionalise a regular mechanism for the stock assessment of these resources, as resource health status is going to be crucial in WTO subsidy negotiations and other national and international discourse,” said CMFRI director Dr A Gopalakrishnan.
Other proposals include national guidelines for the eco-labelling of marine fishery resources to safeguard the livelihoods of small-scale fishers and the use of automated mechanisms for landing estimations and stock assessments, and tracking of vessels.
Research is also required to assess and characterise deep-sea and non-conventional fishery resources, Dr Gopalakrishnan said, as is way to oversee deep-sea fishing with an emphasis on economic viability and regulatory compliance.
Also highlighted was a proposed strengthening of insurance to protect fishers, vessels and artificial reefs. Finally Dr Gopalakrishnan underscored the potential of using mesopelagic organisms as source for fish meal, citing a possible 1.6 million tonnes of available resource per year.
