Role of Modern Technologies in

Management & Conservation of Fisheries

Abby Varghese, B.Sc Geography Ist year

&

U Vishwesh, B.Sc Geography IIIrd year

Madras Christian College, Chennai

Marine Coastline

8,118 kilometers of marine

coastline

3,827 fishing villages

1,914 traditional fish landing

centers

Fresh Water Resources

195,210 kilometers of rivers

2.9 million hectares of minor

and major reservoirs

2.4 million hectares of ponds

and lakes

0.8 million hectares of flood

plain wetlands

In 2010 = 4 million metric tons

Importance of Fisheries in India

Fisheries are a major industry in its coastal states, employing over

14 million people. In 2008 India was the sixth largest producer of

marine and freshwater capture fisheries, and the second largest

aquaculture farmed fish producer in the world.

Aquaculture has been growing rapidly especially during the last

decade, approximately at 10-15 % per year. Domesticating aquatic

species involves fewer risks to humans than land animals which

took a large toll in human lives.

Use of modern technologies in Fisheries

Geographic Information System (GIS) is a system that is used to

input, store, retrieve, manipulate, analyze and output geographically

referenced data or geospatial data, in order to support decision

making for planning and management of land use and other natural

resources.

Satellite data with GIS is the only modern tool potential in monitoring

of coastal resources such as mangroves, estuaries and other

landforms. The timely inputs of natural resources distribution from

satellite data analysis will help decision makers for better

management of resources.

To do proper planning, we need to know the location and quantity

of our land resources.

India has developed a system of scientific indicators of potential

fishing zones using satellite-derived information on Sea Surface

Temperature (NOAA-AVHRR satellite data) and Chlorophyll (IRS-P4

ocean-colour data).

Oceanographic features such as temperature fronts, meanders,

eddies, rings and upwelling areas, that have proven to be

prospective sites for fish stock congregation and migration, are

identified from the satellite imagery.

Eddies are renowned fishing spots since they often break off and form walls, keeping fish contained within their circulating currents.

Technology in India

The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information

Services (INCOIS) disseminates PFZ advisories, in local

languages, three times a week to the entire coast line of

India by fax, phone, internet, email, electronic display

boards, newspaper and radio broadcasts. These

advisories indicate the likely availability of fish stocks for

the next 2-4 days, and provide detailed directions on

how to locate the fish stocks.

A SST capture of Indian Ocean by Aqua-1 on 15-01-2013

Conservation

Gill nets and trammel nets cause to the

bottom fauna and the ecosystem as a whole,

these gears should be encouraged as a

conservation measure.

Gill nets utilize only 0.15-0.18 kg of fuel per

hour as compared to trawling, which uses 0.8

kg of fuel.

• Long Lines

Long line gear is highly targeted specific, non-destructive and can be operated with low power engines. Sails can be used for propulsion to reduce fuel consumption and environmental pollution. With some modification to their traditional fishing, skilled fishers can use this method. This combined operation has not yet been widely adopted despite the efforts of the Bay of Bengal Programme (BOBP) of the FAO.

• Traps, Pots and Pounds

These gears are also selective devices that do not cause any damage to the environment and are also low energy fishing methods.

• Ring Seines

The mini-purse seine or the ring seine contributed 21.4% of the marine fish landing of Kerala in 1994. The use of excess horsepower for propulsion, beyond the actual requirement, and the use of up to four outboard engines of 90 hp must be discouraged as this result in high fuel consumption without a commensurate increase in production

• Stake Nets

Stake nets are traditional fish bag nets operated widely in the backwaters of Kerala mainly for catching penaeid prawns. There are 17,724 stake nets in the State. Since these nets are used mainly to catch prawns, which have a high value, every effort is made to increase the catch by reducing the mesh size, thus resulting in the depletion of stocks. The catch is influenced by the lunar phases and seasonal variations in tidal currents and floods can also induce variations in the catch. It is reported that 90% of the stake nets have a cod-end mesh size of less than 13 mm, of which 47% are below 8 mm.

• Mini-trawling

Licensing and regulations on the operation of this gear should also be initiated as a conservation measure. Licensing and regulations on the operation of this gear should also be initiated as a conservation measure.

Kerala’s Conservation Strategy

• Kerala Marine Fishing Regulation Act (Majumdar Committee constituted by the government of India in 1976 )

• Through registration and licensing, mesh size regulation, prohibition of certain fishing methods, delimitation of fishing zones and declaration of closed seasons.

• The question of closed seasons was later studied by various groups of specialists on marine fishery resources appointed by the Government of Kerala, and a partial ban on trawling during the monsoon season was introduced in May 1981.

CONCLUSION

Thus conclusion can be made that, with the role

of new modern technologies , the fisheries can

be managed and conserved in such a way that

they are projected to newer strategies and

procedures with help of technologies in order

to face the issues and challenges of the

fisheries industry