The Indian marine fisheries sector has stabilised at around three to four million tonnes of capture a year, indicating that India has reached its maximum potential yield.
Yet, despite this huge output, there is inequity. Small-scale fishers represent 90% of the fishing population but catch only about 10% of the volume; the remaining is by larger mechanised fishing operations. Further, three-quarters of India’s marine fisher families live below the poverty line. Attempts to catch ‘just one more kilo’ with newer nets and bigger engines either yield no more fish or marginally increase volumes but with much higher debt, fuel and other costs for already hard-pressed communities.
On a recent fishing trip aboard a commercial shrimp trawler in the Arabian Sea, the full dynamic playout was evident. For every kilogram of shrimp retained on board, the nets disgorged over 10 kilograms of discarded bycatch. These were juvenile fish and non-target species which were tossed back (more dead than alive) into the waves.
India’s multi-species, multi-gear fisheries make bycatch management especially intractable, with a single shrimp trawl impacting the populations of dozens of fish and invertebrate species. Such indiscriminate trawling damages marine biodiversity by degrading reef and oceanic communities, undermining food webs, and eroding the foundations of future catches.
The ecological consequences are stark. Juvenile fishing, facilitated by smaller mesh sizes (<25mm) that allow sub-legal fish to enter nets, depletes spawning stock biomass, driving long-term declines in commercially important species such as sardine and mackerel. These types of declines can take years or even decades to recover — or in worst case scenarios, are irreversible.
Such collapses abroad offer concerning precedents. Canada’s Northern cod fishery crashed in 1992 under heavy harvest pressure, prompting a moratorium that still leaves stocks far below historical levels. Off California, the Pacific sardine fishery collapsed mid-century in the 1900s, forcing closures from 1967 to 1986 and again in recent decades as populations failed to rebound. India’s regulatory framework is complicated, which only adds to this. All the coastal State/Union Territories have their own Marine Fisheries Regulation Act (MFRA), creating a patchwork of rules that unscrupulous fishermen can (and do) circumvent simply by landing their catch across a State border. A species protected as juveniles in one State may be legal in a neighbouring State, enabling the seamless laundering of undersized fish and undermining conservation efforts.
India should look into harmonising these disparities into a national standard by integrating scientifically established catch limits, have uniform minimum legal size (MLS), fishing gear restrictions, and closed seasons. Without these, India will continue to face MFRA enforcement issues, and consequent depletion of marine biodiversity.
Solutions to pursue
There are lessons from other countries. New Zealand’s (fish) quota management system (QMS) has shown excellent results by aligning science and policy. Since its introduction in 1986, total allowable catches are calibrated against robust stock assessments — which have stabilised and, in some cases, rebuilt key fisheries, while providing clear, tradable quotas (individual transferable quotas) to commercial, recreational, and customary fishers alike.
Adapting the QMS for India’s large mechanised trawl fleet, at least on a pilot basis, could curb the depletion of marine biodiversity by tying fishing allowances to actual stock health, rather than vessel size or fuel use. Targeted size limits and minimum legal-size regulations already pay dividends.
There are success stories from India. After Kerala enforced a minimum legal size for threadfin bream, catches rose by 41% within a single season — allowing fish to mature produces greater yields over time and better income for the fishers.
Reining in the fish-meal and fish-oil (FMFO) industry is another urgent priority. The bycatch feeding this industry creates perverse incentives, as more discard means more feed profits. In some States’ trawl fisheries, over half the haul weight is low-value bycatch, much of which is juvenile fish. This bycatch is ground into meal and a lot of it is exported, while Indian fish consumers and the Indian aquaculture industry lose out on critical nutrition sources. Capping FMFO quotas, mandating on-board release of juveniles, or redirecting bycatch toward local aquaculture brood stock would align industry incentives with biodiversity conservation.
However, achieving these reforms demands action at multiple levels. At the national level, the central government needs to optimise vessel licences, infrastructure grants and fisheries subsidies, towards an ecosystem-based regulatory approach. States will need to bolster enforcement with well-equipped patrols and real-time reporting tools. Fisher cooperatives and village councils should be empowered as co-managers of local marine protected areas and breeding sanctuaries. Urban and rural consumers must wield their buying power, choosing only legally sized, sustainably sourced seafood, and refusing offerings that undermine marine biodiversity.
We stand at the crossroads
Climate-driven storms, coastal erosion, and market volatility already threaten India’s nearly 8,000 km (recalculated to 11,098 km recently) coastline and its 3,000 plus fishing villages. Letting overexploitation continue will deepen poverty, erode marine biodiversity, and forfeit sustainable yields that could feed millions. But the solutions lie within reach: science-based quotas, harmonised regulations, community-led stewardship, and a policy shift that focuses on long-term sustainability.
On this International Day for Biological Diversity, let us pledge to protect India’s vibrant marine life. We must do this not just for our food and livelihoods today but also for the ecological resilience and equitable prosperity of generations to come.
Vijai Dharmamony is Senior Manager, Climate Resilient Fisheries, Environmental Defense India Foundation
Published – May 22, 2025 12:08 am IST