Conservation Strategies for Indian Marine Fisheries with special reference to the issues of multi-species multi-gear fisheries

1. Conservation Strategies for Indian
Marine Fisheries with special
reference to the issues of multi-
species multi-gear fisheries
Raghunath
Kufos
FSM 2021-20-07

2. Marine Conservation
• It is the protection of and preservation of
ecosystems in oceans and seas.
•
• The marine conservation focuses on
limiting human caused damage to marine
ecosystems and preserving vulnerable
,marine species.

3. Scope of Fisheries
• Fish - source of cheap and nutritious food.
• Fisheries:-
• Livelihood > 14 million people
• Employment generator
• Socio-economic development
• Stimulates growth of subsidiary industries
• Preserving vulnerable species.

4. Challenges for Fisheries
• Fish stocks depleted : Food insecurity, unemployment,
poverty, intra and inter conflicts between fishermen and
industries.
•
• Accurate data on assessment of fishery resources and
their potential of fish production.
• Development of sustainable technologies, yield
optimization.
• Harvest and post-harvest operations, landing and berthing
facilities.
• Welfare of fishermen:
• -Marginalization, lack of awareness and communication,

5. EEZ of India

7. Major fishing methods in Indian
marine Waters
• The principal traditional fishing gears operated
are cast net, beach seine (shore seine), bag net,
boat seine, gill net, trap, hook and line and
other gears to suit the local conditions.
• Modern fishing gears operated are shrimp trawl,
bottom trawl, large gill net, purse seine and
mid-water trawl.

8. • In addition to this, unconventional methods such as
electrofishing, light fishing, fish finders, echo-
sounders are also used.
• Besides, a number of other methods such as
spearing, harpooning, etc. are used to capture fish
in certain areas.
• Perch traps used in Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay area
are made with bamboo material and are used for
trapping perches.
• Of the different gears, drift and set gill nets and bag
nets of varied mesh size are widely used along the
east and west coasts while ring seines, purse seines
and mechanized gill nets are confined whereby to the
southwest coast.

9. 5 major Gears-
Trawl
Bagnets
Gillnets
Seines
Hook & Line
Major contributors to fishery
Multi species multi
gear fisheries
More than 25 craft
gear combinations

12. Status of India's Marine Fish Stock

13. Closed seasons
• Most of the maritime states have declared closed
seasons at different times of the year for conservation
of resources.
• Kerala and Tamil Nadu – 15th June to 29th July (45
Days).
• West Bengal – March to June (Up to August for trawl
fishing).
• Andaman and Nicobar Islands – 15th April to 31st May
(Bottom trawl and the vessels engaged in shark
fishing).
• In Gujarat, no fishing can be carried out in the
territorial waters from 10th June to 15th August.

14. Trawling
Introduction of larger square-mesh cod ends in
trawls should be encouraged to allow juveniles of
finfish to pass through, thereby reducing fish
mortality.

15. Major States: N- W Coast: Gujarat, Maharashtra,
Daman and Diu and others.
Major species: Penaeids, non penaeids, Scianids,
ribbon fishes, Bombay Duck

16. Stationary-bag nets-influenced by tide
Operated Single day and multiday
Major States: N- W Coast: Gujarat,
Maharashtra.
Major species: Scianids, Ribbon fishes, Bombay
DuckPenaeids, non penaeids
Bag net

17. seines
Selectivity measures can be introduced in ring seines
by using large meshed sections and escape windows in
the bunt for excluding non-targeted species

18. Long wall of netting with or with out bag dragged
for gathering the pelagic fishes.
Operated from boats/ beach
Major states: Kerala, Karnataka, Goa
Species: Pelagic species

19. Gillnet fisheries
Long wall of netting, captures fish by gilling/
entangling
Enable resource specific fishing.
Species: Pelagic species
Mechanized
gillnetters: Gujarat,
Maharashtra, Goa,
West Bengal
Motorized: Andhra
Pradesh, Tamil Nadu,
Kerala

20. Key areas for conservation
• Indiscriminate trawling and use of trawl cod
ends with less than legal mesh size, catch of
juveniles and discards at sea.
•
• Regulating the operation of ring seines and
standardization of ring seine units.
•
• Regulation of fishing by mini-trawls in inshore
areas by artisanal fishermen.
•
• Area-wise optimization of fleet size and fleet
categories.
• Large scale adoption of square mesh cod ends

22. • Use of By-catch Reduction Devices (BRD) and
Turtle Excluder Devices (TED).
•
• Facilitating adoption of environment friendly semi
pelagic trawl systems.
•
• Sensitization regarding Illegal, unreported and
Unregulated (IUU) fishing.
• Information on potential fishing zones (PFZ).
• Marketing of quality fish, and hygiene and
sanitation in marketing.
•
• Conflicts between mechanized and artisanal
fishermen groups regarding the use of different
fishing methods and on trawl ban issues.

26. Thank You