Coastal Aquaculture and Mariculture

Unit 8- Deep sea fisheries

8.1. Deep sea fisheries
Marine fish production has increased more than five folds since independence. The substantial increase in fish production after independence was largely due to introduction of mechanized fishing vessels and synthetic gear materials, expansion of trawl fleet, motorization of traditional fishing craft, substantial growth in number and efficiency of trawlers and motorized craft, and development of infrastructure for fish preservation, processing and storage. These developments increased fishing pressure in the coastal waters up to a depth of 100 m and had led to over-capitalization in certain fisheries like trawl fishery and over-fishing of a few fish stocks like sharks, catfishes and whitefish. The resources in the inshore waters are being fully exploited and scope for increasing production from the present fishing grounds is limited. However, commercial deep-sea fisheries have not developed in India. The Maritime Zones of India Act came into force in 1981 and rules were framed in 1982, which enabled the Government to regulate deep sea fishing activities.