Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying, Dr. L Murugan, today underscored the Central government’s steadfast commitment to supporting traditional fishermen in their transition to deep-sea fishing. This commitment is being realized through initiatives such as the Blue Revolution and the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY). Dr. Murugan made these remarks during a technical session on ‘Deep Sea Fishing: Technology, Resources, and Economics’ at the Global Fisheries Conference India 2023, currently underway at Gujarat Science City in Ahmedabad.
The government is providing substantial financial assistance, up to 60%, to traditional fishermen to convert their vessels into deep-sea fishing boats. Loan facilities are also available to facilitate this transformation. Dr. Murugan stressed the necessity for modern fishing vessels equipped with in-built processing facilities to meet international quality standards for deep-sea resources like tuna. Acknowledging the current lack of these capabilities among traditional fishermen, Dr. Murugan assured that the government is committed to addressing this gap.
Highlighting the global demand for tuna, Dr. Murugan urged more start-ups to enter the deep-sea fishing sector. He also called for research to focus on reducing fuel costs and exploring the use of green fuels in fishing boats. Upgrading fishing vessels through research and design is essential to harness the potential of deep-sea fishing sustainably.
Deputy Commissioner of Fisheries, Government of India, Dr. Sanjay Pandey, emphasized the high value of deep-sea resources, citing that India Ocean yellowfin tuna alone has an end value exceeding 4 billion US dollars.
World Bank Consultant, Dr. Arthur Neiland, noted the untapped potential of yellowfin and skipjack tunas in India’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), with an estimated harvest of 179,000 tonnes. However, the actual harvest is only 25,259 tonnes, indicating a utilization rate of just 12%. Dr. Neiland stressed the need for public and private sector investment in deep-sea fishing to unlock economic, social, and environmental benefits. He suggested leveraging India’s institutional expertise in fisheries science, management, fish processing, and infrastructure.
A panel discussion on this theme concluded that collective and inclusive efforts addressing the concerns of all stakeholders are necessary to develop a systematic framework for the development of deep-sea fishing. Panelists included Dr. Manell Zakharia, a deep-sea consultant at NIOT, Chennai, Dr. Prashant Kumar Srivastava, Senior Scientist at ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), and Dr. Hashim, Scientist D at CMLRE.
Deep-sea fishing, undertaken beyond the territorial waters (12 nautical miles from the shore) and within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 200 nautical miles from the shore, holds immense potential for India’s fisheries sector.
