Overfishing in India: Causes, Impacts and Remedies
Why in the news
Overfishing is draining India’s marine stocks and hurting fishing communities, prompting calls for stronger regulation.
Key facts
- FAO: over 33% of global fish stocks are overexploited.
- India lands 3-4 million tonnes a year, but 90% of fishers (small-scale) get just 10% of the catch; 75% live below the poverty line.
Causes
- Vessel overcapacity: trawlers take up to 10 kg of bycatch per 1 kg of shrimp.
- Destructive gear: nets below 25 mm mesh catch juveniles.
- IUU fishing: costs the world $36.4 billion a year.
- Fragmented law: each coastal state has its own Marine Fisheries Regulation Act.
- Harmful subsidies on fuel and vessels.
Impacts
| Area | Effect |
|---|---|
| Ecosystem | Reef damage by trawling; sardine and mackerel declines; sharks, rays and turtles threatened |
| Livelihoods | Debt and low income for small fishers; fish protein and jobs at risk |
| Environment | Food-web instability; Canada’s 1992 cod collapse cited |
Way forward
- Quota Management System on the New Zealand model, using scientific stock assessments.
- Enforce Minimum Legal Size (Kerala threadfin bream: +41% catch).
- One national fishing law on gear, closed seasons and size limits.
- Regulate the FMFO sector with quotas and juvenile release.
- Fisher cooperatives to co-manage Marine Protected Areas; consumer awareness.
Exam angle
- IUU = Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing.
- Abbreviations: QMS, MLS, MPA.