Introduction

There are two branches of fishery sector namely Inland Fisheries (, Aquaculture) and Marine Fisheries (, Mariculture) .

Constituting about 6.3% of the global fish production and 1.15% of Indian GDP and 5.15% of agricultural Indian GDP
The sector accounts for around 10% of the total exports and nearly 20% of the agricultural exports of the country
Fisheries is a state subject. Fishing beyond territorial seas and exclusive economic zones are under Union list
In India, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu are major fish producing states.
Almost 50% of the total production is from culture fisheries

Importance

MINISTRY OF FISHERIES, ANIMAL HUSBANDRY & DAIRYING - New ministry created in May 2019

No Central laws covering the entire Exclusive Economic Zone EEZ
Social security to fish workers and calls for life protection at extreme weather events
Fishing in EEZ only by Indian fishing vessels with a permit. Foreign shipping vessels in EEZ is prohibited
Fisheries management plan

Ensure that the ecological integrity of the maritime zones of India is maintained

Seven pillars - Sustainability, Welfare of fishers, principle of subsidiarity, partnership, inter-generational equity, gender justice and precautionary approach.

Autonomous organisation under Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying, Fisheries, Min of Fisheries
To enhance fish production and productivity in the country and to coordinate fishery development in an integrated and holistic manner.
Production, Processing, Storage, Transport and marketing

Formulated by merging all the existing schemes
Development of fisheries including fisheries infrastructures, cold chain and marketing facilities.
Covers inland fisheries, aquaculture and marine fisheries including deep sea fishing, mari-culture and all activities undertaken by the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB).

Mariculture is a specialized branch of aquaculture involving the cultivation of marine organisms for food and other products in the open ocean, an enclosed section of the ocean, or in tanks, ponds or raceways which are filled with seawater

Development of Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture,
Development of Marine Fisheries, Infrastructure and Post-harvest Operations,
National Scheme for Welfare of Fishermen
Monitoring, Control and Surveillance and other need-based Interventions (MCS),
Institutional Arrangement for Fisheries Sector,
Strengthening of Database & Geographical Information System of the Fisheries Sector (SoDGIS),
National Fisheries Development Board and its activities(NFDB)

Creation of critical fisheries infrastructure and cold chain facilities in all States/Union Territories to preserve shelf life of fish and reduce its wastage and spoilage

cold storages, ice plants, creation of whole sale and retail fish markets, support for acquisition of refrigerated and insulated trucks and live fish vending centres, two and three wheelers vehicles with ice boxes.

Funding: Both Government and Nodal Loaning Entities such as NABARD, National Cooperatives Development Corporation and all scheduled banks
This will provide concessional finance to state govts/UTs, corporates, individuals, entrepreneurs etc or taking up of the identified investment activities of fisheries development
Benefits: Rise in production, employment opportunities, rise in investment and innovation

Illegal Unreported and Unregulated Fishing
Illegal fishing - fishing without license, fishing in closed area, fishing with prohibited gear, fishing over a quota, or the fishing of prohibited species.
Unreported - under reported /unreported which leads to under estimations of catches and stock estimates
Unregulated - most of it happens in high seas where national laws are not broken.

GEMINI device is a satellite-based advisory service for deep-sea fishermen.
As of now, communication with fishermen has been limited to mobile networks and very high frequency (VHF) radio which does not range over 20 kms, while fish shoals in the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean are as far away as 150 kms from the coast. At such distances, it becomes impossible to provide timely warnings of sea storms and cyclones to fishermen and hence GEMINI device was made
Functions

To disseminate seamless and effective emergency information and communication on disaster warnings, Potential Fishing Zones (PFZ) and Ocean States Forecasts (OSF) to fishermen

Developed by Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) and Airports Authority of India (AAI)

The LOP system aimed at facilitating Indian fishermen buy used deep sea fishing vessels from other countries
LOP system in EEZ has been stopped since Jan 2017 in order to boost the livelihood of local fisherman