India, July 22 -- The Government of India issued the following news release:
Yes, the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) implemented by the Department of Fisheries, Government of India (DoF, GoI) includes a component "Development of 100 Coastal Fishermen Villages as Climate Resilient Coastal Fishermen Villages (CRCFV)". This is aimed at developing the existing 100 fishermen villages situated close to the coastline in various States and Union Territories (UTs), including that in Tamil Nadu's coastal districts, into Climate Resilient Coastal Fishermen Villages, and to transform them to economically vibrant fishermen villages. The guidelines of PMMSY for the component of CRCFV has listed a basket of activities that includes infrastructure components and economic activities that aid enhancing the resilience of the villages to climate change impacts.
Sixteen coastal fishing villages in the Tamil Nadu have been selected for development as CRCFV. The Government of Tamil Nadu has informed that activities spread across the infrastructure and economic components have been proposed in these villages. The details of the activities approved for the selected 16 villages are provided in the Annexure I.
The Government of Tamil Nadu has informed that the PMMSY projects implemented in Tamil Nadu is in alignment with the state's objectives and action plan on climate change, particularly through its focus on climate-resilient fisheries and sustainable practices. The PMMSY incorporates initiatives like seaweed cultivation, artificial reefs, and promoting climate-resilient coastal fishing villages, which directly address climate change impacts on the fisheries sector.
Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has informed that Tamil Nadu harvested 6.79 lakh tonnes of fish in 2024, a 20% increase from 2023, ranking second among maritime states. Lesser sardines dominated the landings (76.98%), followed by crabs (39.72%), cephalopods (38.62%), Odonus niger (38.4%) and Indian Mackerel (35.4%). Among the 14 maritime districts of Tamil Nadu, Kanyakumari recorded the highest landings of 1,57, 280 t (23.2%), followed by Tuticorin at 1,13,356 t (16.7%), Chennai with a landing of 91,927 t (13.5%) and Ramanathapuram 87,140 t (12.8%). The percentage contribution of Pudukottai, Thanjavur, Villupuram, Nagapattinam and Cuddalore districts were 9.9, 7.3, 5.7, 3.9 and 3.7% respectively to the total catch of Tamil Nadu.
Further, studies on fish stocks revealed that the stocks are in good health and 91.1% of the 135 fish stocks evaluated in different regions during 2022 were found sustainable. The studies clearly indicated that there are inter annual fluctuations in landing of marine fishery resources due to changes in the climate and environmental variables.
The DoF, GoI through its institutes and other organizations conducts awareness programmes for the local fishers and residents to enhance the awareness regarding impact of marine pollution to livelihood and human health. The fishers are also being sensitized through State Fisheries Departments and Sagar Mitras to adopt sustainable fishing practices and to reduce micro-plastic litter generated from fishing equipment. Beyond the domestic initiatives, Government of India through DoF, GoI is collaborating in a global initiative with IMO (International Maritime Organization)- FAO (The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) to prevent or reduce marine litter in the region.
Annexure
Infrastructure components and Economic activities under the component of developing climate-resilient fisheries under PMMSY
Table Omitted (The document can be viewed at https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2146836 )
Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.
