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Picture Courtesy:  THE HINDU

Context

The NITI Aayog released a report titled "India’s Blue Economy: Strategy for Harnessing Deep-Sea and Offshore Fisheries" to provide a detailed roadmap for transforming the deep-sea and offshore fishing sector into a sustainable and economically robust pillar of the national economy.

What is Deep-Sea and Offshore Fishing?

Coastal/Inshore Fishing: Fishing within the Territorial Waters, which extend up to 12 nautical miles (nmi) from the coast, most of India's fishing activity is currently concentrated.

Offshore Fishing: Fishing within India's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

Deep-Sea Fishing: This is defined by depth, not distance. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), it is any fishing activity occurring at depths greater than 200 meters.

High Seas Fishing: Fishing in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ), i.e., beyond the 200 nmi limit of the EEZ.

What are the Major Challenges Hindering India's Growth?

The report identifies a series of interconnected challenges that have prevented India from becoming a major deep-sea fishing nation.

Regulatory and Policy Gaps

• Lack of a Comprehensive Law: India currently does not have a specific law for regulating fisheries in its EEZ). This regulatory vacuum has contributed to issues of Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing.
• Outdated Legislation: The Merchant Shipping (MS) Act, 1958, which governs vessel registration, is outdated and not suited for modern fishing vessels.

Severe Infrastructure and Technology Deficits

• Inadequate Fishing Harbours: Most fishing harbours are designed for shallow-water operations and cannot handle large deep-sea vessels.
• Broken Cold Chain: The lack of an integrated cold chain—from on-board freezing facilities to refrigerated transport and modern processing units—leads to high post-harvest losses (over 20% annually) and poor quality produce, which brings lower prices in international markets.
• Technological Gaps: Indian vessels often lack advanced fish-finding technologies (like sonar), modern vessel monitoring systems (VMS), and sustainable fishing gear (like circular hooks to reduce bycatch).

High Operational Costs and Financial Barriers

• Capital Intensive: Deep-sea fishing is highly capital-intensive. The cost of a modern deep-sea fishing vessel ranges from ₹50 lakh to ₹1 crore.
• Limited Access to Finance: Small-scale and artisanal fishers struggle to get loans from institutional lenders due to the high-risk nature of the operations and a lack of collateral.

Sustainability and Conservation Concerns

• Overexploitation Risk: High-value deep-sea species like tuna and deep-sea shrimps are highly migratory and vulnerable to overfishing.
• Bycatch and Habitat Degradation: Unsustainable fishing practices like bottom trawling cause significant damage to sensitive marine ecosystems, and the unintentional catch of non-target species (bycatch) like sharks and sea turtles is a major concern.
• Ghost Fishing: Lost or abandoned fishing gear continues to trap and kill marine life indiscriminately.

A Three-Phase Roadmap for Transformation

NITI Aayog proposes a comprehensive, multi-layered, and phased roadmap. The total indicative cost for the three phases is estimated to be over ₹8,000 crore, leveraging existing schemes like Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) and the Deep Ocean Mission.

Phase 1: Laying the Foundation (2025-2028)

This phase focuses on creating the enabling ecosystem.

• Regulatory Overhaul: Enact a comprehensive legislation for the EEZ, update the Maritime Zones Act, and create a separate Vessels Act for modern fishing vessels.
• Infrastructure Development: Upgrade major fishing harbours and establish 10-15 minor deep-sea landing centers.
• Fleet Upgradation: Induct modern deep-sea vessels (longliners, trawlers) and support the development of domestic shipbuilding.

Phase 2: Scaling Up and Achieving Competitiveness (2029-2032)

This phase focuses on expansion and modernization.

• Fleet Modernization: Large-scale induction of advanced vessels, facilitated through cooperative ownership models.
• Strengthening Monitoring (MCS&E): Expand Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS) to cover 100% of the deep-sea fleet and increase on-board observer programs.

Phase 3: Global Leadership in Sustainable Fisheries (2033 Onwards)

This phase aims to position India as a global leader.

• High-Value Product Development: Focus on developing niche and premium deep-sea fishery products for high-end global markets.
• Sustainability and Conservation: Enforce ecosystem-based fisheries management frameworks and expand marine protected areas.

Way Forward: Six Pillars of Reform

The NITI Aayog report consolidates its recommendations into six key areas of intervention:

• Comprehensive Overhaul: Create clear, unified laws for deep-sea fishing aligned with international standards (like UNCLOS), and streamline licensing and subsidy schemes.
• Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Building: Create a dedicated agency for holistic governance of deep-sea fisheries and expand research and data collection capabilities.
• Fleet Modernisation and Infrastructure Upgradation: Incentivize the adoption of modern vessels, develop an integrated network of deep-sea fishing ports, and invest in post-harvest processing and cold chains.
• Sustainable Fisheries Management: Operationalize marine spatial planning, enforce science-based catch limits, mandate the use of bycatch reduction technologies, and establish traceability systems from catch to consumer.
• Resource Mobilisation and Financing: Establish a dedicated Deep-Sea Fishing Development Fund, facilitate public-private partnerships (PPPs), and ease access to institutional credit and insurance.
• Stakeholder Inclusion and Partnerships: Develop co-management frameworks that include fishing communities, promote fisher cooperatives, and promote coordination between maritime agencies and research bodies.

Global Lessons for India

The report highlights crucial lessons from international deep-sea fishing nations that India can adopt:

• China's Scale and Warning: China's distant water fleet demonstrates the potential for large-scale operations, but it also serves as a warning against overfishing and the need for strict international regulation.
• Japan's Scientific Rigor: Japan's long history emphasizes the importance of using sound scientific data, stock assessments, and international cooperation (through bodies like the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission - IOTC) to manage shared migratory resources sustainably.
• Spain's Modernization: Spain provides a model for successful fleet modernization and adopting sustainable gear technology (like using circular hooks to reduce bycatch).

Conclusion

NITI Aayog’s strategic roadmap urges immediate action to shift from a fragmented, coast-focused approach to a coordinated, sustainable, and deep-sea-oriented strategy. This shift will unlock Blue Economy potential, strengthen food security, empower coastal communities, boost economic growth, and position India as a global leader in marine resource management.

Source: THE HINDU