Illegal Fishing

Uttar Pradesh: NGT directs action on illegal farming of African catfish

The National Green Tribunal has ordered action against the alleged illegal breeding and farming of the African catfish in Uttar Pradesh. Clarias gariepinus, colloquially known as the African catfish or the Thai magur, is banned in India and its farming and breeding are not permissible. The green body was hearing a plea claiming two people were breeding the banned fish variety in the Shahpur Nij Morta village of Ghaziabad district. In a recent order, a bench of National Green Tribunal Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava noted a 2019 order of the tribunal, according to which, "Breeding of exotic magur (catfish) is not allowed without the approval of the national committee on exotic fishes and also the state government concerned because of its potential to cause ecological damage in our country." The bench, also comprising Judicial Member Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and Expert Member A Senthil Vel, said the matter concerning the breeding of exotic catfish or its hybrid Thai magur had

Gujarat govt extends fishing ban in Arabian sea till Aug 15; Cong opposes

The Gujarat government has decided to extend the ban on fishing activities in the Arabian Sea by a fortnight till August 15, a move the Congress claimed to be "unfair and reckless" which will cause financial losses to fishermen. A senior official from the Gujarat fisheries department on Sunday said the decision was taken in consultation with the central government after considering a representation made by the fishermen's association to allow more time for fish to breed. The government also took into account scientific data and weather conditions to reach the decision, he said, adding the change is also likely to be adopted by other states on the western coast. Since 2021, the annual fishing ban in the state remained in effect from June 1 till July 31. The state fisheries department on July 31 issued a notification, amending the Gujarat Fisheries (Amendment) Rules, 2020, which stated no person shall carry out any type of fishing in the inland and territorial waters from June 1 to .

75% of the world's industrial fishing vessels not publicly tracked: Study

About 75 per cent of the world's industrial fishing vessels are not publicly tracked, and much of that fishing happens around Africa and South Asia, according to a new study published in the journal Nature. Researchers have created a global map of large vessel traffic and offshore infrastructure and found a "remarkable" amount of activity previously "dark" to public monitoring systems, using machine learning and satellite imagery. The researchers, led by an international non-profit organisation Global Fishing Watch, Washington, US, also found that more than 25 per cent of transport and energy vessel activity also was missing from public tracking systems. The findings help shed light on the breadth and intensity of human industrial activity at sea, which they said has been changing. "The footprint of the Anthropocene is no longer limited to terra firma," said co-author Patrick Halpin, a professor of marine geospatial ecology at Duke University, UK. The researchers found that while

Coast Guard apprehends 2 Sri Lankan boats for fishing in Indian waters

The Coast Guard has apprehended two Sri Lankan fishing boats with 11 crew onboard for fishing in Indian exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and escorted them to Kakinada for further investigation. The fishing boats from the neighbouring country were apprehended by ICGS Vigraha, about 175 nautical miles from Kalingapatnam, on November 10 and brought to the shore on Saturday for interrogation. The Lankan vessels were engaged in fishing in Indian EEZ without valid licences and documents, according to an official release. As per the Maritime Zones of India Act 1981, fishing and poaching by foreign vessels in Indian EEZ is an offence and the Lankan vessels violated the Act along with provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Joint investigation and rummaging is being carried out with Marine Police, Fisheries Department, Customs and Intelligence Bureau at Kakinada. Subsequently, the fishing boats and crew will be handed over to Marine Fisheries Department and

World Economic Forum 2022: How data, tech can help combat illegal fishing

The seafood industry has positioned itself as stewards to combat IUU fishing, but they are ill-equipped to fully monitor their supply chains

Sri Lankan Navy arrests 22 Indian fishermen for alleged poaching

The Sri Lankan Navy has arrested 22 Indian fishermen and seized two fishing trawlers for allegedly poaching in the country's territorial waters.

Lockdown or lawless tyranny?

India faces a human problem of unparalleled magnitude. It cannot be solved without humanity

Pakistan court relieves 350 Indians jailed for illegal fishing

Fishermen from both countries are harassed as there's no boundary between the two in the Arabian sea