Context

• India's marine fisheries sector, once increasing source of food and livelihood, has reached a plateau, stabilising at three to four million tonnes of annual capture.
• This indicates that India is operating at the threshold of its maximum sustainable yield.
• However, beyond this impressive volume lies a story of inequity, ecological degradation, and policy gaps that threaten both the marine ecosystem and the millions who depend on it.

Concerns Surrounding India’s Fisheries Sector

• Inequity in the Fisheries Sector
  • Despite the magnitude of India’s marine output, the economic benefits remain unequally distributed. Small-scale fishers, who constitute 90% of the fishing population, are responsible for only 10% of the catch.
  • The mechanised fleet, often better equipped and capitalised, dominates the rest.
  • This imbalance is starkly visible in the socio-economic conditions of fisher communities, three-quarters of whom live below the poverty line.
  • Further exacerbating this disparity is the relentless push by many fishers to extract just one more kilo, driven by declining yields and economic desperation.
  • Investments in more powerful engines and finer nets often backfire, increasing debt without a proportional rise in catch.
  • The result is a vicious cycle of diminishing returns and rising economic vulnerability.
• Environmental Cost of Unsustainable Fishing
  • India’s multi-species, multi-gear fisheries present unique management challenges.
  • One glaring issue is the indiscriminate use of shrimp trawlers, which extract valuable shrimp while discarding up to ten times their weight in bycatch, mostly juvenile and non-target species.
  • This practice not only kills large numbers of marine organisms but also disrupts marine ecosystems, damages reef structures, and erodes the long-term productivity of fisheries.
  • Of particular concern is the widespread use of nets with mesh sizes under 25mm, which fail to prevent the capture of juvenile fish.
  • This depletes the spawning stock biomass of key species such as sardine and mackerel, threatening their long-term survival.
  • Historical precedents, such as the collapse of Canada’s Northern cod fishery and California’s Pacific sardine stocks, highlight the dire consequences of unchecked overfishing, with recovery taking decades, or proving altogether elusive.
• Fragmented Regulations and Enforcement Challenges
  • One major institutional roadblock to sustainable fisheries management in India is the fragmentation of legal frameworks.
  • Each coastal State and Union Territory operates under its own Marine Fisheries Regulation Act (MFRA), creating a regulatory patchwork that is easily exploited.
  • For instance, fish caught illegally or below legal size in one State can be sold in a neighbouring State with laxer regulations, undermining conservation efforts.
  • To counteract this, there is a pressing need to harmonise the MFRA provisions into a unified national policy.
  • Such a framework should incorporate science-backed catch limits, minimum legal size (MLS) regulations, gear restrictions, and seasonal fishing bans to allow ecosystems time to recover.

The Way Ahead

• Learning from Global and Local Successes
  • International models offer valuable insights. New Zealand’s Quota Management System (QMS), established in 1986, ties fishing allowances to robust scientific assessments, creating a system that incentivises conservation while allowing for economic activity.
  • Adapting this model, even on a pilot basis, for India's mechanised trawl fleet could help link fishing quotas to actual stock health rather than vessel size or fuel consumption.
  • Domestically, success stories also exist. For example, Kerala’s enforcement of a minimum legal size for threadfin bream led to a 41% increase in catch in a single season.
  • Such examples demonstrate that protecting juvenile fish and ensuring they reach maturity leads to greater yields and better incomes for fishers.
• Reining in the Fish-Meal and Fish-Oil Industry
  • The fish-meal and fish-oil (FMFO) industry, which processes low-value bycatch, often juvenile fish, into animal feed and export products, poses another significant threat.
  • This practice incentivises overfishing and undermines nutritional security, as nutrient-rich fish are diverted away from Indian consumers and aquaculture.
  • Potential reforms include setting bycatch quotas, mandating juvenile release, and promoting the use of bycatch in local aquaculture systems rather than export.
• Towards a Multi-Level Reform Agenda
  • Sustainable reform in the fisheries sector must operate at multiple levels:
  • National Level: The central government should reorient licences, subsidies, and infrastructure support towards sustainable, ecosystem-based practices.
  • State Level: States need to enhance enforcement capabilities with better patrols and digital monitoring systems.
  • Community Level: Empowering local fishers, cooperatives, and village councils as co-managers of marine protected areas and breeding zones can ensure ground-level enforcement and stewardship.
  • Consumer Level: Urban and rural consumers alike must demand sustainably sourced and legally compliant seafood, using their buying power to influence practices throughout the supply chain.

Conclusion

• India’s 11,098 km coastline and over 3,000 fishing villages are increasingly vulnerable to climate change, coastal erosion, and economic shocks.
• If overexploitation continues unchecked, the result will be deepened poverty, irreparable biodiversity loss, and declining yields.
• However, the tools for a sustainable future are within reach: science-based quotas, regulatory harmonisation, community stewardship, and a focus on long-term ecological and economic resilience.