Fisheries Administration and Lagislation

Unit 3 - Fisheries development over five year plans

3.5. An analysis of growth in production and fishing capacity
Indian fisheries sector consists of several subsectors based on fish production. The marine subsector currently accounts for nearly 40 per cent of the total fish production which contributes 71per cent of the total during 1950-51. The CMFRI identifies three phases of development in marine fisheries (CMFRI 2003). Phase I corresponds to the pre-development stage up to 1965 where fishing was predominantly by indigenous crafts and gears. Phase III (1965-86) is characterized by substantial increase in the use of synthetic gears, export trade and expansion of mechanized crafts, establishment of fishing ports and motorization of small boats. Phase III (1986-2000) witnessed substantial growth in the modernization of the artisanal crafts, extension of fishing grounds, offshore fishing through multi-day vessels and introduction of seasonal closures. The fourth phase (Post-2000 period) is characterised by stagnation with inshore catches, reduced investment and increasing conflicts at sea over access to fish.The fishing capacity can be determined with reference to fishing inputs (vessels, potential efforts) over a period of time by a vessel if fully utilized. Fisheries scientists often view capacity based on comparisons between fishing efforts, fishing mortality and maximum sustainable yield (MSY). When total mortality exceeds MSY there is excess fishing capacity.

Comparison of fisheries objectives in key policy documents in India

Tenth Five Year Plan	Eleventh Five Year Plan	CMFP 2004	Policy elements
To grow fish production from aquaculture and marine fisheries and in particular utilize the full potential of deep sea fisheries to enhance fish consumption Management of coastal fisheries Increase fish seed production Equity of participation	Enhancing the production of fish from Indian waters, both marine and inland, on an environmentally sustainable and socially equitable basis; Address the hitherto unexplored potentials of Indian fisheries such as island fisheries and non-food fisheries;	To augment marine fish production of [India] up to the sustainable level in a responsible manner so as to boost export of seafood from the country and also increase per capita fish protein intake of the masses	Fish production outcomes: Increased production Increased consumption
Train fisherwomen Optimal exploitation Increased investment for infrastructure	Promoting fish as health food and meeting the changing requirements of both domestic and export markets to make the sector globally competitive; Increasing profitability of fishers and aqua-farmers through an integrated approach from production to consumption; Strengthening of infrastructure in harvest, post harvest, value addition and marketing and upliftment of fisher and aqua-farmer communities with gainful employment opportunities and capacity strengthening	To ensure socio-economic security of the artisanal fishermen whose livelihood solely depends on this vocation To ensure sustainable development of marine fisheries with due concern for ecological integrity and biodiversity	Socio-economic outcomes Social equity Socio-economic security Increased profitability / optimal use Infrastructure development
	Enhancing the production of fish from Indian waters, both marine and inland, on an environmentally sustainable and socially equitable basis; Conservation of aquatic resources and genetic diversity, as also preservation of the health of ecosystems;	To ensure sustainable development of marine fisheries with due concern for ecological integrity and biodiversity	Environmental outcomes Protection / preservation of the environment Environmental sustainability

One specific target set in the Tenth Plan was that fish production should reach 8.19 tonnes by the end of the planning period in 2007. The Eleventh Plan Working Group estimated that annual fish production in the four years from 2002 to 2005 increased from 5.96 to 6.3 tonnes. This represented an average increase of less than 2 percent per annum, which is well below the target of 5.44 percent annually which would be needed reach an annual harvest of 8.19 tonnes. Fish production from the marine sector in particular, changed little over this period.
A range of other intended outcomes for fisheries are identified at various places in the Tenth Five Year Plan that warrant mention. For marine fisheries these outcomes include; i) increased production from the deepwater fisheries (linked to the overall fish production target); ii) increased fish consumption per capita in India; iii) management of coastal fisheries; iv) equity in participation; and v) optimal exploitation.
Few if any specific measures of performance against these outcome statements are available but some general comments are provided below based on information sources noted above and earlier chapters of this report. They are as follows:

• There is little or no evidence of increased production in deepwater fisheries;
• Information on actual fish consumption change in India is limited, but various studies cited earlier in the report suggest that demand is expected to increase significantly;
• Various fishery performance indicators (such as change to catch per unit of effort, change in fishery trophic status, change in numbers and capability of vessels, change in user conflict) show that current management of coastal fisheries is inadequate and leading to the overexploitation of coastal fisheries (both in terms of fishing and capacity);
• Growing levels of conflict between users between states, and between states and neighboring countries such as Pakistan, as vessel numbers and capacity increase, and fish stocks decline, suggest equity in participation in management or in access to the fisheries resource is poor;
• There is evidence that coastal fisheries are over exploited and deepwater / island fisheries are underexploited.