In accordance with the report “Annual Marine Fish Landings in India for 2019” by Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), India’s marine fish production has increased marginally by 2.1% to 3.56 million tonnes (mt) in 2019 as compared to 3.49 mt in 2018.
- As per the report, Tamil Nadu grabbed the top in annual fish production with 7.75 lakh tonnes followed by Gujarat (7.49 lakh tonnes), which had been holding the first position earlier, and Kerala (5.44 lakh tonnes) which retained the third position.
- The estimated value of fish landings in the country last year was Rs 60,881 crore with 15.6% increase over 2018.
- It should be noted that the term “Landing” in the report means getting fish out of the water and brought to the land.
- Notably, in the global front, India is ranked 3rd after China and Indonesia in marine fish production.
Key Points from report:
-The red toothed triggerfish, a commercially unimportant fish, became the most landed resource (2.74 lakh tonnes). This fish has little demand in domestic markets and is mostly caught for the purpose of feed mills.
-The second highest landings was ribbon fish (2.19 lakh tonnes), followed by penaeid prawns (1.95 lakh tonnes) and non-penaeid prawns (1.80 lakh tonnes).
-The Indian mackerel landings, which were in the first spot in 2018, declined by 43% in 2019.
–Scenario of other States in fish landing: States such as West Bengal (55 per cent), Andhra Pradesh (34 per cent), Odisha (14.5 per cent), Karnataka (11 per cent) and Tamil Nadu (10.4 per cent) recorded an increase in landings, while the marine fish catch decreased in Maharashtra (32 per cent), Goa (44 per cent) and Kerala (15.4 per cent), compared to the previous year.
–Cyclone effects: As per report, 8 cyclonic storms in and around India, of which six turned out to be severe cyclones (Fani in April, Vayu in June, Hika in September, Kyarr in October, Maha in October-November and Bulbul in October-November) affected the fishing calendar days more adversely on the west coast of the country.
About Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI):
The Fishery Resources Assessment Division of the CMFRI estimated the annual marine fish landings through its online data collection system.
Director– Dr. A. Gopalakrishnan
Headquarter– Kochi, Kerala
