Fishermen in India

Fisheries is an important sector in India–it provides employment to millions of people and contributes to food security of the country. With a coastline of over 8,000 km, an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of over 2 million sq km, and with extensive freshwater resources, fisheries play a vital role.

The marine fisheries sector plays an important role in India’s food security. As per the 2010 census, there are 3,288 marine fishing villages, 1511 marine fish landing centres in 9 maritime states and two union territories.

Aspirants would find this topic very helpful in the IAS Exam.

Status of Fishermen in India

As per the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) Census of 2010:

• There were around 4 million fishermen in India. Approximately 61% of fishermen were living Below Poverty Line (BPL)
• There are 3,288 marine fishing villages and 1,511 marine fish landing centres in 9 maritime states and 2 union territories
• Among the marine fishermen households nearly 76% were Hindus, 15% were Christians and 9% were Muslims. The overall percentage of SC/ST among the marine fishermen households was 17%
• The average family size of fishermen families was 4.63 and the overall sex ratio was 928 females per 1000 males
• About 38% of marine fisherfolk were engaged in active fishing with 85% of them having full-time engagement. About 63.6% of the fisherfolk were engaged in fishing and allied activities. Nearly 57% of the fisherfolk engaged in fish seed collection were females and 43% were males

Read more about Blue Revolution or Nili Kranti Mission at the linked article and know in detail about the initiative taken by the government for the growth of the aquaculture industry.

Which State is the Largest Producer of Fish in India?

Given below are the top five Fish producing states in India as per the 2013-14 data along with the quantity of production (in tonnes): 

(Source: http://www.ijirset.com/upload/2015/february/63_Statistical_new.pdf)

What is the Rank of India in Fish Production?

India is globally ranked at 2nd position in Fish Production. Fish production stood at 13.7 million metric tonnes in 2018-19. An inland sector of fishing constitutes 65% of the total fish production. Fish and fish products are the largest group in agricultural exports in the year 2018-19.

The exports of fish were valued at more than Rs 47,000 crores. The fisheries sector had grown rapidly from 4.9% in 2012-13 to 11.9% in 2017-18.  Seeing the potential with Fish Production, India has integrated all the schemes of the fisheries sector into an umbrella scheme called Blue Revolution. The main objective of the Blue Revolution is to increase fish production and productivity from both inland and marine sources.

Which Country has the Highest Fish Production?

China was ranked as the number one country in Fish Production for the year 2016. The total fish production from China was around 81.5 million tonnes. For the year 2016, India was ranked at 3rd position with total fish production at around 10.8 million tonnes. Some of the fishes captured by India are oil sardines, Indian mackerel, shrimps etc. There are five main fishing harbours in India which are listed below.

1. Mangalore 
2. Kochi
3. Chennai
4. Visakhapatnam
5. Kolkata 

There are 23 minor fishing harbours and 95 fish landing centres in India.

Get the updated UPSC Syllabus for the Civil Services Exam at the linked article and start your preparation accordingly. 

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