22 Sep 2023: PIB Summary for UPSC

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Artificial Reef (AR) under PMMSY
2. India - Indonesia - Australia Trilateral Maritime Exercise

1. ​​Artificial Reef (AR) under PMMSY

Syllabus: GS-2, Govt Schemes; GS-3, Environment

Prelims: Artificial Reef (AR) under PMMSY, PMMSY

Context:

The Department of Fisheries is promoting Artificial Reef (AR) under PMMSY for rejuvenating coastal fisheries.

Details:

• The Department of Fisheries has sanctioned 732 artificial reef units for 10 coastal states as a sub-activity under “Integrated Modern Coastal Fishing Villages” of the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY).
• It has a total investment of Rs 126 crores sanctioned.
• The projects are being implemented with the technical support of the Fishery Survey of India (FSI) and ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI). 
• The installation of artificial reefs in coastal waters and undertaking sea ranching programs across all coastal states are expected to rejuvenate coastal fisheries and rebuild fish stocks.

Artificial Reefs:

• Artificial reefs are engineering technology interventions used to rehabilitate and/or improve natural habitats, increase productivity and manage aquatic resources including habitat enhancement (FAO, 2015). 
• Advantages of artificial reef installation:
• • ARs, used for aggregating fish and provide a home for fish to live and grow, reduce wave damage on coasts, helps regeneration of marine ecosystem and act as a carbon sink.
  • They provide a firm substrate for marine life such as corals, algae and plankton to attach to and grow.
  • They provide favourable conditions for sea ranching and serve as spawning and nursery grounds for fish.
  • They promote recreational fisheries, snorkelling, eco-tourism, creating suitable areas for diving and reducing conflicts.
  • Artificial reef structures restrict bottom trawling in the near shore areas thus helping the marine environment to regenerate and small-scale fishers get higher catch.

2. India – Indonesia – Australia Trilateral Maritime Exercise

Syllabus: GS-2, IR; GS-3, Security & Defence

Prelims: India – Indonesia – Australia Trilateral Maritime Exercise, INS Sahyadri

Context:

The Indian Navy’s indigenously built warship INS Sahyadri participated in the maiden trilateral Maritime Partnership Exercise with the ships and aircraft from the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and Indonesian Navy in Sep 2023.

Details:

• The trilateral exercise provided an opportunity for the three maritime nations to strengthen their partnership and improve their collective capability to support a stable, peaceful and secure Indo-Pacific region. 
• The exercise also provided the opportunity for the participating navies to benefit from each other’s experience and expertise. 
• Complex tactical and manoeuvring exercises, cross-deck visits and cross-deck landings of integral helicopters were conducted for training of crew and enhancement of interoperability.

INS Sahyadri:

• INS Sahyadri is indigenously built. It is a guided missile frigate.
• INS Sahyadri is a part of the Indian Navy’s Eastern Fleet that is based in Vishakhapatnam.
• It is capable of detecting and neutralizing air, surface, and sub-surface threats as it is fitted with world-class weapons and sensors.

Read the previous PIB articles here.