Fisheries play an important role in the economy of India : Essay

Fishing is one of the oldest occupations of man and learnt fishing much before he could learn something about agriculture.

Fishing has assumed much importance in view of the rapidly growing population and depleting land resources. Fish also provides protein rich food and is also a big source of vitamin A, B, and D. There are about 30,000 species of fist in the world out of which about 18000 are found in India. Fish also forms an important part of diet of the people living in the coastal areas of Kerala, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa, and Gujarat. The fish catch in India is of two types:

(a) Marine Fisheries:-

It includes coastal, off-shore and deep sea fisheries mainly on the continental self upto a depth of 200 meters.

(b) Inland Fisheries:-

This includes fishes from rivers, lakes, canals, reservoirs, ponds, tanks etc. India as also the third largest producer and second largest producer of Island fish in the world. The fish production in India has gone high about 2.5 times in a span of nearly two decades.

Fish cultures in India have been playing an important role in the economy of the country. As it helps in augmenting food supply, generating employment, raising nutritional level and earning foreign exchange by export.

The fisheries sector also provides employment to over 11 million people engaged fully, partially or in subsidiary activities pertaining to the sector and an equally impressive segment of the population engaged in ancillary activities and accounts for about one percent of the total agricultural production in India.

However, the fisheries division of the department of Agriculture has been under taking directly or through state governments various production oriented programmes, input supply programmes and infrastructure development programmes besides formulating appropriate policies to increase production and productivity in fisheries sector. But the main objectives of fisheries development programmes are:-

(i) Enhancing production and productivity of fishermen, fish farmers and fishing industry.

(ii) Increasing nutritional standard of people through fish production.

(iii) Earning of foreign exchange from export of marine products.

(iv) Improving socio-economic conditions of traditional fisherman.

(v) Employment generation, and

(vi) Conservation of depleted species of fish.

In recognition of the important role of Inland fisheries in overall production of fish, the government has been implementing two important programmes in inland fisheries since fifth/sixth plans. These are Fish Farmers Development Agencies and National Programme for Fish Seed Development. A network of more than 300 Fish Farmers Development Agencies is functioning now. Under the National Programme for Fish seed production many fish seed. Hatcheries have been commissioned in different part of the country.

A programme was also taken up during the Seventh plan for utilization of organic waste for aquaculture under which many farms are beings developed. A new scheme for development of reservoir fisheries in cooperative sector was initiated during 1989-90 in collaboration with the National Cooperative Development Corporation for development of 27,000 hectare reservoir area in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka.