Government Schemes in India in Fisheries Sector

There is a huge institutional network in the country to support fisheries sector. This includes Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR); Ministries of Agriculture, Commerce and food processing industries; CSIR; State agricultural universities etc. Further, the government established National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) in 2006 with its headquarter at Hyderabad to realize the untapped potential of fisheries sector, fish culture, processing & marketing of fish, application of modern tools of research & development for optimizing production and productivity in fisheries. It is executing various programmes to enhance the national fish production and to augment the fish processing and marketing infrastructure in the country.

There is also a statutory body called Coastal Aquaculture Authority, established by Coastal Aquaculture Authority Act, 2005. Its main work is to regulate coastal aquaculture activities in order to endure sustainable development without causing damage to the coastal environment. The Authority is empowered to make regulations for the construction and operation of aquaculture farms in coastal areas, inspection of farms to ascertain their environmental impact, registration of aquaculture farms, fixing standards for inputs and effluents, removal or demolition of coastal aquaculture farms, which cause pollution etc.

Further, currently, the below schemes are being implemented by the Government.

• Development of Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture.
• Development of Marine Fisheries, Infrastructure and Post Harvest Operations.
• Strengthening of Database and Geographical Information System (GIS) of the Fisheries Sector
• National Scheme of Welfare of Fishermen.

The fisheries sector in India has made rapid strides and its role in food supply, employment and raising nutritional standards of the population has expanded in recent decades. It has been one of the largest foreign exchange earner sectors also for the country. However, this sector, particularly the inland fisheries needs proper policy support to tap its untapped potential.