Marine fisheries and management in Tamil Nadu

With increasing mechanisation and technological development, unregulated and unsustainable fishing operations are increasing, exerting tremendous pressure on natural resources. Management decisions and policy frameworks need to be based on information derived from strong scientific research. Unfortunately such information is very poor in India. Our research on marine fisheries involves undertaking long-term monitoring of trends in fishing, levels of exploitation and their impacts on existing resources, population dynamics and recruitment processes, which are all vital information for conservation/management prioritisation.

Tamil Nadu ranks among the major fishing maritime states of India, with 13 coastal districts and 591 fishing villages. More than 0.8 million people depend directly on fisheries for their livelihoods and a larger population in Tamil Nadu is indirectly dependent on it.

New technology and mechanisation of crafts have led to more intensive and efficient exploitation of resources putting tremendous pressure on the ecosystem. While increasing population and demand for natural resources will sustain or increase the pressure on the marine ecosystem, there are few efforts to monitor the impacts of this extensive and exploitation over the long term. There is a dearth of information on the amount of resources exploited and changes in patterns of exploitation. For e.g. bottom trawling produces a high amount of unintentional catch - “by-catch”, which has severe impacts on the benthic ecosystem, the base of the food chain. Targeted fishing of larger pelagic and demersal predatory fishes leads to the food chain being fished down from the top and a major part of the fish catch comprises intermediate links in the food-chain (sardines, anchovies etc). This multiple-pronged removal of links from the marine food chain could have considerable impacts on the ecosystem. The impacts of these fishing practices on marine ecosystem function  and biodiversity have not been explored in India.

The PTEI project initiated studies to characterise the fishery along the Tamil Nadu coast. The study  analysed long-term trends in marine fisheries over the last twenty years, and recorded the status of various fishing practices along the Tamil Nadu coast. It also documented the issues that are of major concern currently in the fisheries sector of Tamil Nadu.

Investigators:

Naveen Namboothri, Kartik Shanker, A. Murugan and Raveendra Durgekar

Publications

Murugan, A. and R. Durgekar. 2008. Beyond the Tsunami: Status of Fisheries in Tamil Nadu, India: A Snapshot of Present and Long-term Trends. UNDP/UNTRS, Chennai and ATREE, Bangalore, India. pp. 75.