Vol. 13, Issue 77, march - april 2013

INTERVENTIONS POLICIES GeographyandYou.com A Development Development A AND a n d

E nvironment nvironment Ma g a Wild Shrimp Seed Collection Seed Shrimp Wild zine Purse Seine in in Fishing Seine Purse Inland Fisheries in India in Fisheries Inland Tracking Yellowfin Tuna Tuna Yellowfin Tracking Rs 60 Geography and You Vol. 13  Issue 77  MARCH - APRIL 2013 AVIN R Photocourtesy: P P The vibrancy of Indian sector can be visualised by its 11 fold increase in fish production in just six decades, i.e. from 0.75 million tonnes in 1950-51 to 8.3 million tonnes at present (2011-12). Source: Indian Council of Agricultural Research. Fisheries: Policies and Interventions

Overview

4 Inland Fisheries in India PRIMITIVE TRIBAL GROUPS V V Sugunan save jarawa Climate change and fisheries 50 Leave Us Alone 12 Coldwater Fish Anvita Abbi P C Mahanta, Debajit Sarma and M S Akhtar counter view vulnerability of fisheries 54 Island Kings turned to Beggars 18 Climate Change and Inland Fisheries Sulagna Chattopadhyay Manas K Das

Policy Intervention INDIA OUTDOORS 24 Wild Shrimp Seed Collection of Ice Sulagna Chattopadhyay 58 The Chadar Trek S Srinivasan Technology upgradation 30 Save the Hilsa B Meenakumari, P Pravin and M P Remesan 2 Editor’s Note 3 Letters Nets of the future In Brief 36 Purse Seine Fishing in India 17 Term Power Indian Fisheries 23 Ornamental Fisheries P Pravin and B Meenakumari 35 Term Power Rating Indian Fisheries 62 Data you can use Marine innovations Report 44 Tracking Yellowfin Tuna 48 Delhi Round Table Conclave 2013 Concludes Prathibha Rohit 47 LIGHTS: GIS Training for the North-East Editor’s Note

Dear readers Being the quintessential Bengali, fish is my weakness. The nutritional security it provides apart from the fact that it engages millions of Indians in a sustainable incremental trade, makes ‘fish-eating’ all the more worthwhile. With more than 10 per cent of global biodiversity in fish and shellfish species, Indian fisheries is poised for a technological upgrade to emerge as a vibrant global and national player. Hilsa however, a flavourful delicacy and a favourite of many, is facing a heavy decline. CMFRI data shows an alarming declining trend from 84,269 tonnes in 2010 to 21,901 tonnes in 2011 with a further drop in commercial landings recording 9,981 tonnes in 2012. The reasons cited are varied, from seasonality, increased fishing effort, harvesting of juveniles and changes in estuarine hydrometry to climate change. The Indian mackerel too is experiencing a drop in landings from a peak of 2.79 lakh tonnes in 2011 to about 1.1 lakh tonnes during 2012. On the other hand, CMFRI also showcases oil sardines benefiting from enhanced sea surface temperatures with landings registered at an all time high of 7.2 lakh tonnes during 2012, a 62 per cent growth over 2008. Similar trends were also noticed in the landings of ribbon fish, carangids and croakers. This issue of G’nY deals primarily with fisheries—inland, marine, , technological innovations and so on. The other section however highlights an important debate about India’s exclusionist policies towards primitive tribal groups, with special reference to the Jarawa of Andaman. I welcome your comments as always and hope you have a great reading session.

Sulagna Chattopadhyay

2 . march - april 2013 . Geography and You Letters For more details log on to our website www.geographyandyou.com

A DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENT MAGAZINE

` 60 .com YOU and Extreme Events I am a lecturer in a government college VOL. ISSUE 13, 76, JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2013 GEOGRAPHY and have been reading and referring to G’nY extensively. The Geography and You most important thing that I have learnt from it is intellectual Editor honesty, as I have never found G’nY giving any information Sulagna Chattopadhyay EXTREME EVENTS without an authentic source. This makes it a top class Flood Hazards in India Weakening Trends in the South Asian Monsoon GUEST EDITOR Glacial Outburst Prone Regions of the Himalaya Agility in Response to Extreme Weather Events intellectual product. Despite enjoying the last issue on extreme B Meenakumari events, I couldn’t help but think that I have not seen a special issue on industry Legal Advisor Krishnendu Datta till now. It is a common knowledge that industrial growth is slowing down but the extent and ramifications of the slide and best we can do to arrest it needs to be sponsorship the special issue on addressed—and who better than G’nY. —Rajender Singh Meena, Rajasthan Fisheries has been partially supported by National fisheries development board,

Cover Photograph It’s only recently that I have measures for better and sustainable Setting out to fish in sunderban started reading G’nY. I was so future. ‘The Isles of Lakshadweep’ impressed with the first issue I issue was inspiring and informative photography Prasad read that I ended up ordering all in its content. Lakshadweep has IRIS Publication Pvt. Ltd. the issues of last two years. I am one of the highest literacy rates Registered Office absolutely smitten by G’nY. Quality amidst rampant poverty and 111/9, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, Kishangarh, of articles, authors, topics chosen, income inequality. A sustainable Vasant Kunj, New I love everything about it. And to business model is imperative while Delhi-110070. top it all, it is priced very reasonably addressing the issues of increasing Correspondence/ Editorial Office (considering the quality of print and waste management to preserve its 1584, B-1, Vasant Kunj, papers). It is a must for anyone undiluted beauty. I suggest G’nY run New Delhi-110070 Phone: 011-26122789 For interested in environment and a ‘column’ on various states of India new subscriptions, renewals, enquiries general geography related topics. in every issue, which should provide please contact As a civil services aspirant with a geographical overview, highlighting Circulation Manager E-mail: geography as an optional, I consider the states’ rivers,mountains,natural geographyandyou2001@ it a sine qua non, especially after the wealth and impending threats to its yahoo.co.uk or [email protected] way the new pattern of questions is development while suggesting (as Please visit our site at www.geographyandyou.com emerging. usual) ways to a sustainable future. It for further information. I wish all the very best and would shall be a great service to the nation ©IRIS Publication Pvt. Ltd. keep hoping that the best is yet to on the part of G’nY. All rights reserved come for G’nY. WASIM AKRAM, throughout the world. Reproduction in any SHASHANK KUMAR SAWAN, MUKHERJEE NAGAR, DELHI manner, part or whole, is prohibited. Printed, JHAJJAR, HARYANA published and owned by I am a regular subscriber of GnY. Sulagna Chattopadhyay. I have been a regular subscriber It provides valuable information Printed at India Graphic Systems of G’nY for the last two years. regarding geographical and Pvt. Ltd. F-23, Okhla The magazine brings to focus environmental issues. Industrial Area, Phase-I, New Delhi - 110020. issues confronting development Abburi Ravi Krishna, and environment while suggesting Published at IRIS Publication Pvt. Ltd. Geography and You does not take any responsibility for Write Editorial Office: Geography and You, 1584, B-1, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi-110070, Letters may be edited returning unsolicited for clarity and length. Include name, address and telephone. Phone 011-26122789, FAX 011-41775126, publication material. Email [email protected], Facebook http://goo.gl/eIeaH, linkedin http://in.linkedin.com/pub/geography-and-you/5a/b32/b24 Website www.geographyandyou.com. All disputes are subject to the exclusive To contribute an article. Kindly send the abstract of your article in not more than 200 words to jurisdiction of [email protected]. The abstract will be reviewed by our guest panelists. Once the abstract is competent courts and selected we shall respond immediately for the full article. The length of the final article may range from 1200 to forums in Delhi/New 1500 words. Please also mention if you can contribute relevant high resolution photographs. The Editorial Advisor Delhi only.

3 . march - april 2013 . Geography and You FISHERIES: POLICIES AND INTERVENTIONS

Inland Fisheries IN INDIA Fisheries provide employment to 14 million fishers—but today the highly dispersed and unorganised sector is calling out for appropriate tools to create good database to enable better planning. It is envisaged that the national policy on inland fisheries should strike a balance between aquaculture and various enhancement practices to achieve higher fish productivity, environmental and social equity.

4 . march - april 2013 . Geography and You V V Sugunan

he role of fish in the nutritional secu- fish contributes to more than 1 per cent of the rity of perceptible from the national GDP and its share in the agricultural fact that poultry consumption in the GDP is about 5 per cent (fisheries is understood Tcountry is 1 kg broiler meat against by policy makers to be a component of agricul- fish consumption of 9.8 kg/caput/annum ture). While more than 14 million fishers and (CSO-MFS 2011‘Manual on Fishery Statistics’; fish farmers (Ministry of Agriculture, 2006) Ayyappan, S., et al., 2009, ‘Fishery resources depend on fishing and for their in the context of nutritional security in India’, livelihoods, many times more that number eke Indian Farming). The annual export earnings out their living through support and ancillary from 8.13 lakh tonne of fish and shell fish are activities such as , trade and the about Rs 129 billion in 2011-12 accounting for making of fishing crafts and gear. 18 per cent of the country’s total agriculture export (The Marine Products Export Develop- ment Authority, 2013). The fisheries sector in India has registered a commendable 11 fold Table 1: Inland fisheries resources of India and growth during the last six decades, propelling their modes of management. the country to the forefront of fish producing nations in the world. Fish production in India Resources Size Mode of management increased from 0.75 in 1950s to 8.29 million tonnes in 2010-11 from both marine (3.22 mil- Rivers (km) 29,000 Capture fisheries lion tonnes) and inland (5.07 million tonnes) sources. Over the years, contribution of marine Mangroves (ha) 356,000 Subsistence fish in the total fish production has decreased Estuaries (ha) 300,000 Capture from 71 in 1950s to 39 per cent during 2010-11 fisheries with a corresponding increase in inland fish Freshwater 2,430,000 Aquaculture production (DAHD&F, 2011; Fig 1). As per (ha) the 2012 data India ranks third in world fish Brackish water 1,140,000 Aquaculture production and is the second largest producer ponds (ha) of inland fish. With an annual production of Secondary Saline 9,000,000 Aquaculture over 8.29 million tonnes (2010-11) (ibid.), soil areas (ha) Potential* which accounts for a turnover of Rs 415 billion, Estuarine 40,000 Aquaculture (ha) Lagoons (ha) 190,500 Capture fisheries Large and 1,667,809 Enhanced Marine medium capture Inland reservoirs (ha) fisheries

8.29 Small 1,485,557 Culture-based reservoirs (ha) fisheries Floodplain 202,213 Culture-based 4.95 wetlands (ha) fisheries; enhanced 11 Fold capture fisheries 0.75 Upland 720,000 Capture 1950-51 1995-96 2010-11 (ha) fisheries Fig. 1: Fish production trends in India (in million tonnes). Sources: Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries, (DAHD&F), Ministry of Source: Ayyappan, S., and Sugunan, V. V. (2009), ‘Fishery resources in the context of Agriculture, Govt. of India. nutritional security in India’, Indian Farming, 59:7, 29-35;* ICAR, 2006

6 . march - april 2013 . Geography and You