India's marine fish landings drop 2% to 3.47 million tonnes in 2024

India's marine fish landings dropped by 2% in 2024, with Kerala witnessing a 4% fall. Gujarat remained the largest producer, while disruptions from cyclones and heatwaves affected fishing activities

India’s marine fish landings have marginally dropped by 2% to 3.47 million tonnes in 2024 compared to the previous year, with Gujarat retaining its foremost position as the country's leading producer of marine fisheries at 0.75 million tonnes, data released by the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) showed.

 

Tamil Nadu was the second-largest state in terms of marine fisheries production at 0.67 million tonnes, and Kerala ranked third at 0.61 million tonnes.

 

In marine fisheries, catch and landings are distinct terminologies. 'Catch' refers to all marine organisms removed from the water during fishing operations, including fish that are discarded or not sold, while landings refer to the portion of the catch that is actually brought ashore and received by the harvester, regardless of whether it’s subsequently discarded or sold.

 

 

CMFRI’s annual marine fish landing estimates showed that Indian mackerel remained the most landed resource in the country at 0.26 million tonnes, followed by oil sardine at 0.24 million tonnes. 

 

The Fishery Resources Assessment, Economics and Extension Division of the CMFRI estimated the annual marine fish landings of the country through its online data collection system.

 

Across India, species such as Indian mackerel, threadfin breams, oil sardine, ribbonfishes, non-penaeid shrimps, and cephalopods recorded a decline in 2024 compared to the previous year, while landings of lesser sardines, penaeid shrimps, anchovies, and tunnies increased.

 

While the west coast region suffered an overall decrease in landings, the east coast showed an increasing trend, with exceptions in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.

 

Maharashtra registered the highest growth of 47% in marine fisheries landings compared to the previous year. West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Odisha also saw notable increases of 35%, 20%, and 18%, respectively, an official statement by CMFRI showed.

 

However, states like Karnataka, Goa, and Daman & Diu experienced significant declines in landings.

 

The statement further said that, in total, around 2.5 lakh fishing trips were monitored to arrive at the data.

 

Mechanised crafts or boats reported an average catch of 2,959 kg per trip, motorised crafts managed 174 kg per trip, and non-motorised vessels recorded a modest 41 kg per trip.

 

The CMFRI report pointed out that cyclonic storms such as Dana, Fengal, Remal, and Asna significantly impacted fishing activities, contributing to the overall decline. Increased heatwave days in Andhra Pradesh and Kerala further disrupted fishing operations.

 

One of the major marine fisheries-producing states, Kerala, recorded a marginal decrease of 4% in marine fish catch in 2024 compared to the previous year, totalling landings of 0.61 million tonnes. 

 

Indian oil sardine topped the list of most caught species in the state with 0.14 million tonnes, registering a slight increase of 7.6%. Indian mackerel (61,490 tonnes), penaeid shrimp (44,630 tonnes), anchovies (44,440 tonnes), and threadfin breams (33,890 tonnes) were the other major contributors to Kerala’s total marine catch. Indian mackerel saw a decline of 16% in landings.

 

The year witnessed very low landings and higher landings of oil sardine in different quarters.

 

The statement said that 2024 also saw an unusual fluctuation in oil sardine landings in Kerala.

 

A severe scarcity in the first quarter led to prices escalating to Rs 350-400 per kg. However, from September onwards, as landings surged, exceeding one lakh tonnes in the last quarter, prices dropped sharply to Rs 20-30 per kg.