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Stakeholder Workshop Expresses Concern Over Juvenile Fishing 

A stakeholder workshop organised by the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (ICAR-CMFRI) on 14th June 2023 at the Headquarters in Kochi expressed concern over juvenile fishing in Kerala’s marine fisheries sector. A report on the status of Kerala’s marine fisheries prepared by ICAR-CMFRI was presented at the workshop which pointed out that 31 percent of the threadfin breams (Kilimeen) caught from the Kerala coast last year were juveniles (below the size of the Minimum Legal Size-MLS). “This has incurred Rs. 178 cr to the sector, while juvenile fishing of Indian oil sardine caused a loss of Rs. 137 cr”, the report said.The workshop, attended by stakeholders including representatives of fishermen, boat owners and allied workers, was organised to discuss the latest trends and issues in the marine fisheries sector of the state.Presenting the report, Dr T M Najmudeen, Principal Scientist of ICAR-CMFRI said that in 2022 juvenile fishing was increasingly reported during trawling ban period as against the previous years. However, the unscientific practice is on a declining trend ever since the MLS was implemented in the state, he said.In a case study done in threadfin breams to analyse the impact of the MLS implementation on Kerala’s marine fisheries, the CMFRI found that standing stock biomass, yield and recruitment numbers of this fish had a substantial increase of 27%, 47% and 64% respectively after the regulation was put in place. A significant percentage of sharks (82%), which are not covered by the MLS regulations, caught off the Kerala coast last year were below their size at first maturity.According to ICAR-CMFRI, the sector incurs a loss of Rs. 4,54000 when fishing one tonne of juvenile oil sardines. Refraining from exploiting the young stocks would not only help fishermen increase their income but also aid in reviving the fishery. Dr EM Abdussamad, Principal Scientist stressed the need for including more fishes under the MLS regulation and revising the existing MLS of certain fish species. Studies and discussions are underway in this regard, he added.Dr A Gopalakrishnan, Director of ICAR-CMFRI said that self-regulation and conducive climatic conditions might be the reason behind the increase in marine fish production including oil sardine in Kerala last year. Referring to the uniform implementation of the MLS regulations, he said that ICAR-CMFRI had suggested this regulation to all the coastal states, but only Kerala and Karnataka stepped in to implement the same.

Potential Resources

The resources such as purple-back flying oceanic squid, mesopelagic fishes and non-conventional ribbon fish species (Trichiurus auriga) commonly seen in southern coast, which are hitherto unexploited, have immense potential for fishing, he added.Stakeholders demanded that the MLS regulations be implemented across the country. A special package should be provided to compensate for the loss while abstaining from juvenile fishing. They also wanted to restrict the entry of fishing boats from other states to the Kerala coast and stop the issuance of licenses to new boats.Dr EM Abdussamad, Dr P Laxmilatha, Dr C Ramachandran and Dr N Aswathy, Dr M B Baiju, NK Santhosh, Joseph Xavier Kalappurakkal, Charles George, Mohanan PT, Anandan KV,  Sangheetha N R, Sandeep P, Sethu G, M Majeed, Unnikrishnan AD, Mani Njayarambalam, Soman KC and Tomi KC participated in the discussion.  

Sea ranching of the green tiger shrimp Penaeus semisulcatus under the Central Sector Scheme component of

'Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana' (PMMSY)

A total of 6.8 million green tiger shrimp seeds (PL 35) were sea ranched at Mandapam, Koyilvadi (Palk Bay) on 7th September, 2023 under the Project entitled "Sea ranching of Green tiger shrimp (Penaeus semisulcatus) Post Larvae (PL) in Palk Bay and Gulf of Mannar, Tamil Nadu" funded by the Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Govt. of India under the Central Sector Scheme component of the PMMSY. The shrimp seeds were released by Shri. M. Sivakumar, Assistant Director of Fisheries and Fisherman Welfare, Mandapam, Fishermen Association Leaders in the presence of Dr. K. Vinod, Head, Dr. G. Tamilmani, Principal Investigator of the project, Scientists and staff of Mandapam Regional Centre of ICAR-CMFRI. The fishermen thanked the Government of India and ICAR-CMFRI for such an initiative and expressed that this activity will be helpful in replenishing and enhancing the green tiger shrimp stock in the wild. A total of 75.34 million green tiger shrimp seeds were sea ranched in Palk Bay and Gulf of Mannar since the inception of the Project (February, 2022). The sea ranching programme was coordinated by Dr. B. Johnson, Senior Scientist of the Centre.

Sea ranching of the green tiger shrimp Penaeus semisulcatus under the Central Sector Scheme component of

'Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana' (PMMSY)

A total of 1.6 million green tiger shrimp seeds (PL 20) were sea ranched at Maraikayarpattianam (Gulf of Mannar) on 23rd June, 2023 under the Project entitled "Sea ranching of Green tiger shrimp (Penaeus semisulcatus) Post Larvae (PL) in Palk Bay and Gulf of Mannar, Tamil Nadu" funded by Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Govt. of India under the Central Sector Scheme component of the PMMSY. The shrimp seeds were released by the staff of Mandapam Regional Centre of ICAR-CMFRI in the presence of Dr. G. Tamilmani, Head-in-Charge & Principal Investigator of the project. A total of 58.24 million green tiger shrimp seeds were sea ranched in Palk Bay and Gulf of Mannar since the initiation of the Project (February, 2022). The sea ranching programme was coordinated by Dr. B. Johnson, Senior Scientist of the Centre.

Hindi Workshop organised at Karwar Regional Station of ICAR-CMFRI

As a part of the Official Language Implementation, a workshop was organized by Karwar Regional Station of ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (ICAR-CMFRI) on 03.07.2023 on the topic "Common Hindi words used in office premises”. Shri Santhosh Seti, Hindi Teacher, Hindu School, Karwar delivered the lecture. Six Scientists and 14 employees of the station actively participated in the workshop. The programme was chaired by Dr. Prathibha Rohit, Head-in-Charge and Chairman, OLIC of Karwar Regional Station