Fish landings in the Indian coast have been slowing down with some species like the shark, croaker and the catfish declining, says a study conducted by the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI). The growth story of the Indian fisheries has been scripted by the increasing catch of oil sardines and keeping them out would mean a real tapering of landings, NGK Pillai of CMFRI told FE.
Over capitalisation and over capacity of fishing fleets may sour the dream run if precautionary measures are not taken soon, feels Pillai but adds that, some species like the tuna, deep sea sharks and bill fish are not exploited to the full extent. India could manage to increase its fish landings with conversion of the excess bottom trawlers into tuna long liners, Pillai added.
States like Gujarat are showing declining trend while some like West Bengal can significantly improve the catch, he said.
?It is observed that total production leveled off after a quantum jump in the production from 1987. During the last ten years the average annual growth in total production was only 0.60%,? Pillai said.
The marginal increase has to be studied taking into consideration the contribution of the oil sardines, which show very high inter-annual variations in catch.
?If the oil sardine productions were to be equal or half the average production during 1995-99, the total production would have declined by 22%,? he said.
