Kochi: Kerala Fisheries Minister Saji Cherian announced the state government’s commitment to fully support young individuals from the fishermen’s community in pursuing higher education abroad. Emphasizing a shift from the traditional notion that fishermen’s children follow in their parents’ footsteps, Minister Cherian stated that the government aims to provide them with the best education opportunities.
The minister made these remarks at the inauguration of a day-long seminar on fisheries resources and sustainability, organized by the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS) and the Coastal Area Development Association for Liberation in Kochi.
Addressing concerns over potential corporatization of the sea, Minister Cherian called upon stakeholders to resist and defeat any attempts to exploit the rights over the sea and its associated resources by corporations. He highlighted the risk of such rights falling into the hands of large companies, emphasizing that fishermen, as traditional owners of sea resources, currently find themselves at the lower rungs of the social and economic ladder.
KUFOS Vice-Chancellor T. Pradeep Kumar, presiding over the inaugural session, emphasized the need for Kerala to more than double its fish production to meet the United Nations-set fish consumption target of 20 kg per person per year. He identified aquaculture as a sector with significant potential for growth in Kerala.
The chief guest at the event, Alappuzha Bishop James Anamparambil, joined the call to support the fishing community, echoing Minister Cherian’s concerns about potential corporatization. Former Fisheries Minister K. Babu, officials from KUFOS, and key figures from the fisheries industry, including the director of the Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT) George Ninan and Matsyafed chairman V. Dinakara, were present at the seminar.
The workshop, featuring various sessions on marine fisheries, ecological conditions of the sea, aquaculture development, post-harvest processing and marketing, inland fisheries, and social development of coastal areas, aimed to address the comprehensive aspects of the fisheries sector in Kerala.
