Boopendranath 2007- IT Needs in Fisheries SCRIBD

8/9/2019 Boopendranath 2007- IT Needs in Fisheries SCRIBD

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Boopendranath, M.R. (2007) Indian marine capture fisheries development Informationtechnology needs, Fishing Chimes 27(2) May 2007: 35-37

Indian Marine Capture Fisheries Development Information technology Needs

Dr. M.R. BoopendranathPrincipal Scientist

Central Institute of Fisheries TechnologyP.O. Matsyapuri, Cochin-682 029, India

E-mail: [email protected]

Capture fisheries is a major source of food for the humanity and provides employmentand economic benefits to large sections of the society. As a source of food it contributes about20 percent of animal protein supply. At present the total world capture fishery production isaround 93 million tonnes with a first hand sales value of US$ 78 billion annually. About 70percent of the fish production is directly utilised for human consumption while the balance 30

percent is reduced fish meal and used in animal feed production.

Fish capture is an ancient occupation. About 200 million people are either directly orindirectly involved in this industry. Fifty million people of which 12.5 million are fishermen andtheir family members directly depend on fishing for their livelihood. An additional 150 millionpeople are involved in shore-based support activities, processing and marketing of fish and fishproducts. The international trade in fisheries is about US$60 billion annually. Fishingcontributes significantly to foreign exchange earnings of many developing countries.

Significant Developments in Capture Fisheries

Significant developments in capture in the last few decades have been:

Developments in craft technology and mechanization of propulsion, gear and catchhandling

Introduction of synthetic gear materials Developments in acoustic fish detection and satellite-based remote sensing techniques Advances in electronic navigation and position fixing equipment Awareness of the need for responsible fishing to ensure sustainability of the resources,

protection of the biodiversity, environmental safety and energy efficiency.

Responsible Capture FisheriesDynamic developments in the harvest and post-harvest technology of fish took place in

the post-war era. Introduction of powerful and highly efficient fish harvesting systems and fish

detection methods and an uncontrolled expansion in fleet size fuelled by ever increasing marketdemand for fish brought about increasing pressure on the world fishery resources.Unmistakable signs of overfishing and negative impacts on the ecosystems have increasinglymanifested in the recent years. According to FAO, a quarter of the worlds fish stocks are fishedat unsustainable levels and half of all stocks are fully exploited with no scope for furtherincrease in catches. Responsible fishing would ensure the long-term sustainability of theresources, minimize negative environmental impacts and protect biodiversity and generallyfocus on the following:

Long-term sustainability of the fishery resources


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Protection of biodiversity Environmental safety Energy conservation in fish harvesting, processing and transportation Fishery legislation - control of open access, input and output control Bycatch, discards and protected species Fishery enhancement

Marine capture fisheries in India

India has a long coastline of 8118 km and an Exclusive Economic Zone of 2.02 millionkm2. Marine fish production of India which was only 0.5 x106 t in 1950, increased to 2.83 x106 tin 1999. Marine fishery potential of the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is estimated atabout 3.934x106 t. About 58 per cent of the resources is available at a depth of 0-50 m, 35 percent at 50-200 m and 7 per cent from beyond 200 m depth. The present catch of 2.8x106 t formsabout 72 % of the estimated fishery potential and is largely derived from the intensively fishedcoastal zone up to 120 m. Fisheries contributed Rs.2,22,230 million (1.4 per cent) to the GrossDomestic Product (GDP).

About 2,80,491 fishing crafts of various sizes and classes are under operation,

consisting of 53,684 mechanised boats, 44,578 motorised crafts, 181,284 non-mechanisedcrafts. About 56 deep sea fishing vessels of more than 20 m LOA are operating along east coast,based at Visakhapatnam, particularly targeting shrimp resources in the north-east coast.Mechanised fishing sector produces 64 % of the marine landings, followed by motorized sector(26%) and artisanal sector (9 %). Indias exports of marine fish and fish products rose fromRs.25 million in 1950-51 to Rs. 68,810 million during 2002-03. A growth rate of 2.5 % has beenproposed for marine fisheries during the Tenth Five-Year Plan (2002-2007), to attain 3.26million t production, at the end the Plan period.

Information Technology

Information technology pertains to the use of electronic computers, telecommunication

infrastructure and software to convert, store, protect, process, transmit, and retrieve informationfrom anywhere, anytime, to achieve strategic goals. E-readiness is the ability of a sector to takeadvantage of Information technology as an engine socioeconomic growth and humandevelopment. As a great social leveller, information technology ranks second only to death. Itcan raze cultural barriers, overwhelm economic inequalities, even compensate for intellectualdisparities. High technology can put unequal human beings on an equal footing, and that makesit the most potent democratizing tool ever devised" (Sam Pitroda, Harvard Business Review,1993).

Information is critical to successful implementation of responsible fisheries managementat local, regional and national levels and is acknowledged as the "key to sound policy-making".FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries emphasize that decisions should be made

based on "the best scientific evidence available" (Articles 6.4 and 6.5.). Article 12 of the Codeaddresses Fisheries Research and offers insight on information collection, management andaccess.

Information technology needs Capture fishery operations

India FishNet An multi-lingual Fisheries Information and e-Commerce Portal

An multi-lingual Fisheries Portal providing easy access to authentic information andfacilitate fisheries related business:


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Potential fishing zones (PFZs) Based on Remote sensing Based on Historical data

Real-time information and forecasts on weather Weather Cyclone warning

Tsunami warning Training and re-education opportunities and institutions

Navigation and seamanship Responsible fishing gear and techniques Fishing vessel safety Personal survival at sea and fire fighting

Fishing vessels Boat building yards Standard designs of fishing boats Routines for cost estimates

Fishing gear materials and accessories Suppliers of gear materials

Common gear materials properties and cost comparison Newer gear materials Otter boards

Fishing gears Trawls Purse seines Gill nets Lines Traps New developments in fishing systems

Gear handling equipment Navigation equipment

Suppliers of navigation equipment Compass and Gyrocompass Autopilot GPS and Chart plotter Radar

Fish detection equipment Echosounder Sonar Integrated navigation and fish finding instruments

Safety and communication equipments Suppliers of safety and communication equipment GMDSS EPIRB SART Life jackets Life rafts Fire fighting equipment

Fisheries jurisdictions Sector-wise demarcation of legal fishing zones Marine protected areas and reserves

Fisheries Legislation, Acts and Rules


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Protected species Responsible fishing techniques Fisheries conservation Fish aggregating devices Fuel conservation devices and practices in fishing operations Financial institutions supporting fisheries Technology providers, R&D organizations in fisheries Fishermen welfare agencies Fisheries related NGOs Onboard handling and preservation of fish Marketing information and auctioning system

Real-time information on fish prices and regional demand in India and in foreignmarkets

Price and demand trends Quality systems, sanitary and phyto-sanitary requirements Electronic auctioning system

Information on alternative livelihoods Indigenous knowledge base

Electronic fishery charts suitable for chart plotters with GPS interface

Navigation information Spatial distribution of target species Seasonal distribution of target species Bathymetry Currents Ground conditions and fishability

India FishBase Fish Identification, Biological Information Relational Database

Correct identification, biological and fisheries information on all species constitutingecosystem are an important in fisheries research and management. An electronic multilingualfish identification and biological information system for Indian species (India FishBase) need tobe developed, in the lines of FishBase (WorldFish Center), as a CD Rom or DVD-basedrelational database. This also must have freely accessible internet version. This may givedetailed information and frequent updates on identification routines, scientific names andcommon names, synonyms, vernacular names, geographic distribution, trophic ecology,physiology and behaviour, life history and growth, IUCN status, time series data on fisheries,post-harvest utilisation.

GIS-based Fisheries Monitoring, Management and Decision Support System

Fisheries management

Fisheries management is the integrated process of information gathering, analysis,planning, consultation, decision-making, allocation of resources and formulation andimplementation, with enforcement as necessary, of regulations or rules which govern fisheriesactivities in order to ensure the continued productivity of the resources and accomplishment ofother fisheries objectives. Managing fish stocks individually and in geographically isolation is nolonger acceptable. The multidimensional and interconnected nature of aquatic resourcecommunities and habitats necessitates ecosystem based management. A fishery managementsystem may require continuous updates on the following, for informed decision making:


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Status of resources and potential yield estimates Status of fishing effort (category-wise; sector-wise) Optimum fleet size Threatened, endangered, critical species (IUCN list) Biological information on ecosystem components (Life cycle, Migration, Growth

parameters, Length at first maturity) Breeding grounds and seasons Juveniles - abundance and distribution in time and space Mesh selectivity Gear selectivity Ecological impacts of different fishing systems Bycatch information in different fishery systems and areas Protected areas and reserves Energy consumption pattern in different fishery systems and sectors Socio-economics of fishing operations/fishery sectors Proven good practices for improved governance of fisheries

The fisheries management regime also requires the following IT initiatives:

Fishing vessel registration and classification system Fishing Gear registration and classification system Authorization system to allocate access rights (license to fish) based on optimum fleet

estimates GIS-based fisheries information and decision support system Monitoring, Control and Surveillance System (MCS) Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) Fisheries certification systems (Traceability and eco-labeling) Potential fishing zone advisories Electronic fishing log

Geographical Information System (GIS)

Geographical Information System (GIS) is an important tool available for fisheriesmonitoring, decision support and management. GIS allows multiple sets of information to beplaced on a series of electronic maps which can then be viewed and manipulated alone or incombination with other thematic information layers. This ability to layer geographic informationbecomes particularly important for fisheries management because multi-dimensional data aboutthe spatial and temporal distribution of fishery resources and fishing effort, breeding andnursery grounds, protected areas, legal boundaries of fishing zones for different sectors,bathymetric information, ground conditions, hydrographic parameters of fisheries significancecan be displayed individually or in combination on computer-generated maps, which can be

revised almost instantly. Resource managers, researchers, NGOs and trained fishermen will beable to gain instant access to resource data and associated parameters for effectivemanagement of resources or for detection of potential fishing zones and seasons for targetspecies.

Potential Fishing Zone advisory system

Progress in the satellite-based remote sensing techniques, which use sea surfacetemperature and ocean colour to identify areas of potential fish abundance also greatly reducesthe search time, as near-real time information is communicated to the fishermen. In India, PFZ


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Advisories are disseminated by Indian National Centre for Ocean information Services (INCOIS,Hyderabad) (autonomous body under Department of Ocean Development).

Monitoring, Control and Surveillance (MCS) System

Limiting access to fishing is a fundamental first step to fisheries management. This can

be done through management programs, such as licensing, rights-based management, co-management, community management, and international fisheries agreements. Controlling thesize and capacity of fishing fleets and their activities (fishing effort) is equally important.

Monitoring, Control and Surveillance (MCS) System is an essential requirement for ascientifically managed fisheries. An automated Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) is necessaryfor appropriate deployment and monitoring of fishing effort, and in combating Illegal, Unreportedand Unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Certification programmes for fish products

Certification programs can promote sustainable fishing by creating market mechanisms

that encourage fisheries to be managed in compliance with a suite of criteria such as stockcondition and ecosystem impact.

Traceability and eco-labelling

Food safety concerns, environmental issues, and legislation have catalysed the need forecolabelling and traceability of fish products. Ecolabelling is voluntary product labellingconveying environmental information to consumers that seeks to create a market-basedincentive for better management of fisheries. Catch registration which includes fishing method,area, date and time, trawl duration, fish species, size and quality grade, lot identity, etc. is thefirst Critical Traceability Point in captured fish traceability chain. Coding, transmission andelectronic standard to be chosen to facilitate the dissemination of these data, may require

strong IT initiatives, in the near future.

Electronic fishing log

Electronic fishing log, where fishermen can log in fishing data to a centraliseddepositary for real-time updating of catch data may become possibility with advances incommunication and computer technology and training of the next generation of fishermen, whowill cooperate with fishery managers to co-manage the fisheries.

ReferencesBoopendranath, M.R. (2005) Information Technology Needs for Capture Fisheries, Paper

presented in the National Conference on Information Technology for Fisheries, 1-2September 2005, Computer Society of India, Cochin

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Boopendranath 2007- IT Needs in Fisheries SCRIBD