Blue Economy - Lessons from China [UPSC Notes]

According to the World Bank, the Blue Economy is the ‘sustainable development of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods and jobs while preserving the health of the ocean ecosystem.’ China has made great strides in developing its blue economy and there are lessons for India in this regard. This topic is relevant for the IAS exam economy segment.

China’s Rise as a Fishery Superpower

• Mitigating hunger:
  • China has become a major importer of food grain due to a shortage of farmland. To meet the demand for protein in the Chinese diet, China has developed its fishing industry and is now a leading “fishery superpower”.
• Protein and profit:
  • China’s deep-water fishing fleet is unable to catch enough fish to satisfy domestic demand, so China has been engaging in distant deepwater fishing since 1985 and has signed contracts to fish in other countries’ exclusive economic zones (EEZs) in Asia and Africa.
• Supporting navy and coast guard:
  • China also uses part of its fishing fleet as a maritime militia to support its navy and coast guard.

India and its Fisheries Sector

• Mitigating hunger:
  • Fish is a great source of protein for India to combat hunger and malnutrition as it is affordable and a rich source.
• Role played by the Indian fisheries sector:
• • India’s fisheries sector is transforming into a commercial enterprise and has become a major contributor to foreign exchange.
    • • The artisanal sector, which consists of poor, small-scale fishers who use small sailboats or canoes to fish for subsistence, catches only 2% of marine fish, while the rest is caught by mechanized and motorized craft.
    • The sector provides livelihood to about 15 million fishers and generates almost twice the number of jobs in transportation, cold storage, and marketing.

• Challenges:
  • The fishing communities in India are experiencing severe hardships, which are attributed to various factors, including the depletion of fish populations and an increase in fuel expenses.
  • India’s fishing industry is limited to coastal waters and faces competition from neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
  • Without a deepwater fleet, Indian trawlers cannot access rich fishing grounds, resulting in underutilized resources in India’s EEZ.
    • Foreign fishing fleets, including those engaged in illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing, take much of the catch from India’s fishing grounds.
    • IUU (illegal, unregulated, and unreported) fishing also poses serious security and environmental risks.
  • Fishing vessels often drift into foreign waters, leading to the apprehension of the crew by navies/coast guards and prolonged imprisonment.
    • The absence of clear maritime boundaries and the ongoing civil war in Sri Lanka resulted in Indian fishermen encroaching into Sri Lankan waters.
    • Following the conclusion of the civil war in 2009, the fishing community of Sri Lanka endeavoured to regain their fishing privileges, which led to clashes with fishers from India.
    • The Sri Lankan Navy has intervened in these conflicts, often resulting in arrests and even fatal shootings of Indian fishermen.
  • India’s fishing industry mostly exports low-value frozen and chilled fish products instead of higher-value ready-to-eat or ready-to-cook products.

Know more about India’s blue economy in the linked article.

Reform Needed in the Indian Fisheries Sector

• To improve the industry, India needs to focus on four areas:

1. Modernizing fishing vessels with electronic fish detection devices and providing funding for artisanal fishers;
2. Developing deep-sea fishing fleets with larger trawlers equipped with refrigeration facilities;
3. Building a DWF (deep-water fishing) fleet around the “mothership” concept to provide fuel, medical, and on-board preservation/processing facilities;
4. Developing modern fishing harbours with proper facilities for storing, preserving, and packaging fish.

• Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana

• • Launched in 2020, it aims to develop India’s fisheries sector sustainably with an estimated investment of Rs 20,000 crores over the next five years.
  • The proposal is to form an “Indo-Sri Lankan Fishing Corporation” and this could benefit both countries’ fishing industries and improve bilateral relations. 
  • This initiative aligns with the principle of SAGAR, which stands for “Security and Growth for All in the Region.”

Blue Economy – Lessons from China [UPSC Notes]:- Download PDF Here