Trawling for success

Towards a new deep-sea fishing policy

India's deep-sea fishing sector has been in the doldrums since the 1990s for want of a favourable policy environment. The Murari committee report in the mid-1990s and the deep-sea fishing policy of 2004 based partly on this report, though meant to revive this sector, actually led to its further decline. There was a sharp reduction in the number of large fishing vessels operating under joint ventures as a result of this policy. This left the bulk of the fishing resources of India's vast exclusive economic zone (EEZ) either unexploited or underexploited. The government's new deep-sea fishing policy based on the recommendations of the Meenakumari committee has also run into roadblocks due to stiff opposition from traditional fishing communities. The fresh guidelines issued recently for fishing in the EEZ - between 22 km and 370 km beyond territorial waters - allow vessels with a length of 15 metres or more to operate in this zone by getting a "letter of permission" from the Centre. These ships can be owned or acquired by Indian entrepreneurs or by joint ventures with up to 49 per cent foreign investment. However, traditional fishermen fear that such fishing ventures will threaten their livelihood by encroaching into some of the areas, which are now within their reach, thanks to the availability of improved fishing gears.

The Meenakumari committee, set up by the present government, has observed that productivity from the coastal zones has either plateaued or is on the decline due to over-exploitation. There is, therefore, little scope for raising fish output in waters up to a depth of 200 metres. However, waters beyond a 500-metre depth are not optimally tapped and, thus, offer considerable scope for augmenting fish output. This zone abounds in tuna and tuna-like species, which are in great demand globally. Significantly, this panel has also alluded to the fact that the Indian fishing industry is, by and large, ill-equipped - in terms of technology as well as finance - to adequately tap these resources. The panel has suggested that the Indian fishing companies should be encouraged to either get hold of larger and well-equipped fishing ships or form joint ventures with foreign companies. The inadequacy of Indian fishing activity in the EEZ has left the field open for poaching by foreign trawlers. The current growth in the country's overall fish production is, thus, contributed almost entirely by inland fisheries.

Traditional fishermen are also uncomfortable with the Meenakumari panel's counsel to create a buffer zone between the near-shore and offshore regions (between 200 metres and 500 metres in depth) to augment resources in the coastal as well as deep-sea regions. Though it is still unclear whether the buffer zone will be a "no-go" area or selective fishing will be allowed, fisherfolks generally tend to view it as a denial of their right to operate in these waters. This ambiguity needs to be removed - and, in general, the concerns of traditional communities addressed - for early result.