'India working on maximising net revenue from fisheries'

Kochi, Feb 13: India is working on maximising its net revenue from fisheries through 'value conservation, value capture and value creation', a high-ranking official said on Monday.

After inaugurating a global symposium on sustainable and resilient fisheries here, Jatindra Nath Swain, Secretary in the Department of Fisheries, Government of India, said, "This will ensure not only a better economics for the sector, but also contribute to ecological sustainability. The government is also committed to maintain a balance between improving the fishing performance and minimising its negative impacts. Policies and legal provisions are primarily focused on low-impact fishing. Pressure of fish stocks in near-shore waters have made us think of improving the situation by exploring resources in the high-seas."

The top fisheries official also said that appropriate technologies are crucial in maintaining sustainability in the marine fisheries sector of the country, adding that improved gear management practices would help protect and promote the interest of small-scale fisheries sector, reduce by-catch, manage ghost fishing and mitigate climate change.

"The country is moving towards the Blue Economy approach focusing on diversifying ocean uses and conserving ecosystem health. However, technological and policy innovations such as deep-sea fishing, mariculture, sea ranching and deployment of artificial reefs are necessary to achieve this," he said.

The symposium is being organised by the Bay of Bengal Programme Inter-Governmental Organisation (BOBP-IGO), the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB), the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and national fisheries institutions on the occasion of the 23rd annual meeting of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES)-FAO Joint Working Group on Fishing Technology and Fish Behaviour (ICES-FAO WGFTFB).

The event is being attended by around 250 participants from 30 countries.