Date: 26/12/2022

Relevance: GS-3: Environment conservation, environmental pollution and degradation; issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment,

Key Phrases: Purse Seine Fishing, Fisheries Sector in India, management of Marine fisheries, Ban on Purse Seine Fishing, Legal provisions of Fishing, Advantages of Purse fishing.

Context:

• A case is going on in the Supreme Court on the legality and other aspects of the imposed ban on the purse seine fishing by various States.
• During the hearing many states supported the ban while the union government advocated lifting the ban on purse seine fishing.

Concerns related to Purse fishing

• It is believed that the decreasing stock of small, pelagic shoaling fish such as sardines, mackerel, anchovies and trevally on the western coasts is due to purse fishing.
  • However, the scientific community argues that climatic conditions, including the El Nino phenomenon, are responsible for the declining catch of such fish in the last ten years.
• Opposition and fear of fishermen using traditional methods because they believe if the ban is lifted a further fall in the availability of these small fishes will take place along with already decreased numbers.
• The dwindling availability of oil sardines
  • Indian oil sardines which are very popular in Kerala saw a sharp decrease and recorded a catch of just 3,297 tonnes vis-a-vis 3.9 lakh tonnes in 2012.
  • Again, traditional fish workers blame purse seines as a reason for the decrease in sardines in Indian waters.

Advantages of Purse fishing

• Efficient and scientific
  • It is the best and most efficient gear to catch small, shoaling, sea fish particularly from the first layer of the sea.
  • A boat which uses purse seine gear will be full of fish thus increasing the number of fish.
• Safety of other species
  • The advantage of the purse seine method is that it does not exploit other species, since it focuses on shoaling fishes only.
• It has no contact with the seabed and can have low levels of by catch.
• It can also be used to catch fish congregating around fish aggregating devices

What is the stand of the States?

• Fishing is a State subject and the management plan for marine fisheries in territorial waters is the job of the State.
• Both Kerala and Tamilnadu believe fishing is the state subject and they have the right to impose a ban.
  • Purse seine is very much detrimental to marine resources because it is a non-targeted fishing gear and catches all sorts of fishes which come in the way of the net, including juveniles.
• Currently, bans on purse seine fishing are implemented in the territorial waters of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry, Odisha, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands up to 12 nautical miles.
• Some states such as Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka, and West Bengal have not imposed any such ban, while Maharashtra has issued some orders to regulate, but not ban purse seine fishing in its territorial waters.

Why is the Centre in favour of lifting the ban?

• The Union government has recommended the lifting of the ban on purse seine fishing based on a report submitted by an expert committee.
• The committee has recommended to continue Purse fishing because this mode of fishing has not resulted in any serious resource depletion so far, given the available evidence.
• It recommended purse seiners to fish in territorial waters and the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) subject to certain conditions.
• The committee has also suggested the framing of a “national management plan on purse seine fisheries”.

Way forward

• Address the issues of fishing community
  • The concerns of the traditional fish workers should be addressed and they can be addressed only if the expert committee report is made available to the trade unions and State governments.
• Take all the States in confidence and formulate a common policy
  • Since different States have different stances on the ban it was natural that fish workers, especially those who use traditional gear, would have problems with purse seine users.
  • The union government should bring all the states together and frame a common policy which puts an end to fears of the fishing community.
• Use technological solutions
  • Automatic identification systems can be established to identify the boats engaged in fishing.
• Limit the Purse fishing based on availability of fishes
  • Purse seine gear can create concern only if it is used without any control.
  • The number of boats sent for fishing should be decided based on the availability of fish.
• Regulation is mandatory
  • Rather than banning, the government should bring in certain regulations such as those who don’t use mechanised boats and use small boats should be allowed to operate within five nautical miles.
  • But in the deep sea, it should be permitted to catch shoaling fishes using purse seines.
  • Thus regulation is essential to build a sustainable fishing strategy rather than a blanket ban.

Conclusion

• Purse seine fishing is an internationally used scientific method and there should be sufficient debate.
• The Fishing community must be taught about the system and cooperation among stakeholders can be used for realizing the true potential of fishing along with environmental conservation including the SDG-14 (Life below water).

Source: The Hindu

Mains Question:

Q. What is Prune Seine fishing? Give an account of India’s fisheries sector and suggest measures to augment India’s fish production. (250 words)