Panel to promote fisheries mooted

The parliamentary standing committee on agriculture has recommended setting up of a national fisheries development board to promote marine and fresh water fisheries.

The panel expressed concern over the vast untapped potential of both marine and inland fisheries. While the potential of the marine fisheries has been estimated at 3.9 million tonnes, the present output is only around 2.95 million tonnes. Similarly, in the case of inland fisheries, the actual production is only 3.45 million tonnes, against the potential of 4.5 million tonnes.

The country has a long coastline of 8,118 kms besides vast areas under estuaries, backwaters and lagoons, which are highly amenable for developing capture as well as culture fisheries.

Indian's exclusive economic zone in the seas has an area of around 2.02 million sq kms, comprising 0.86 million sq kms on the west coast, 0.56 million sq kms on the east coast and 0.6 sq million kms around the Andaman and Nicobar islands.

The inland fisheries resources include a 196,000 km stretch of rivers and canals, 3.15 million hectares of reservoirs, 241.4 million hectares of ponds and tanks, 9,800 hectares of beels and derelict water bodies and 1.24 million hectares of brackish water bodies.

Though India has become the third largest producer of fish, it has not been able to develop modern fishing technologies and second largest producer of fresh water fish, to fully use the potential of this sector.

Fishing in seas is still being done mostly by non-motorised crafts owing to shortage of mechanised boats, modern communication systems and fishing gears and other necessary equipment.

As a result, production of fish from the coastal waters has almost reached a plateau. Infrastructure facilities for landing and berthing of fishing vessels and post-harvest operations need to be revamped and strengthened to encourage deep-sea fishing.

In the inland fisheries sector, the fish production potential of the vast Himalayan region is going largely untapped. This region is full of rivers, rivulets, lakes and ponds.

Besides, there are also large areas of marshy and waterlogged land in the Gangetic plains, especially in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, which are suited for fresh water and saline water fish culture.

The committee has expressed surprise that the fisheries department has not conducted any study or survey of such areas to harness their fish production potential. It has recommended that a time-bound plan be prepared for developing and tapping the potential of fisheries in the Himalayan region and other inland water reservoirs.