KOCHI: Kerala’s fisheries sector is suffering huge economic loss owing to uncontrolled juvenile fishing, according to the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI). Most of the juveniles caught during the last year were of threadfin breams that caused a loss of Rs 221 crore to the fisheries sector in the state, a CMFRI study says. The report was prepared as part of CMFRI’s research project for developing a fisheries management plan for the sector. Apart from the loss to the economy, juvenile fishing also affects the biological factors of the fish ecosystem, according to the report.
The unscientific practice leads to disruption in recruitment and spawning stock biomass of the fish. Dr T.M. Najmudeen, principal scientist at the CMFRI and the principal investigator of the project, presented the report at a stakeholder meeting held at the CMFRI on Saturday to discuss the studies carried out by the institute during the last year. Representatives of fishermen associations, trade unions, seafood exporters association, Wildlife Trust of India and officials from the fisheries department were present at the meeting.
During the discussion, fishermen called for implementing the Kerala model Minimum Legal Size (MLS) regulation in the neighbouring states too. According to them, the curb on juvenile fishing will be meaningful only if there is uniformity in implementing regulations across the country. The fishermen wanted the CMFRI to study the migratory pattern of the demersal fishery resources. Studies are also required on fish varieties like white fish whose availability is declining. The fishermen also wanted the CMFRI to take steps for reducing the fleet size as a solution to reduce overfishing. The centre should ensure that national policies are formulated strictly on the basis of scientific facts avoiding any kind of political influence, they said. Dr T.V. Sathiananadan, Dr K. Sunil Mohammed, Dr P.U. Zacharia, Dr N. Aswathy, S. Mahesh, Charles George and Joseph Xavier Kalappurakkal spoke on the occasion.
