A two-day National Strategic Workshop on Small-scale Fisheries in India (NSWSSF) was held from 10 - 11 January 2013 in Chennai, India. The overall objectives of the Workshop were to understand the attributes, scope and strategic linkages of small-scale fisheries (SSF) within national and international context and proposing an agenda for this decade (Agenda SSF- 2020) to take SSF to the next level. The NSWSSF was organized by the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries (DAHD&F), Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India, the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB); the Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem Project (BOBLME) and the Bay of Bengal Programme Inter-Governmental Organisation (BOBP-IGO). Fifty-four participants from major fisheries-centric states, regional and international organizations and fisheries experts took part. Mr Tarun Shridhar, Joint Secretary (Fisheries), DAHD&F chaired the Workshop.
Following the two-day discussion, the Workshop arrived at the following definition of the SSF:
“Traditional or owner-operated or entrepreneurship fisheries (not by large companies) using boats less than 24 m length overall, using relatively small amount of capital and energy, making single-day or multi-day fishing trips, providing for domestic consumption or export.”
In addition, the following observations were made by the Workshop:
- There is a need to distinguish between two thins while defining the SSF sector from policy perspective, first, what is small- scale fisheries and second, who is a small-scale fisher. The Chair said that such differentiation is necessary as policies for small-scale fishery which is an activity could be different from welfare policies meant to help a small-scale fisher. In addition, there was also a need to broaden the definition by including aquaculture.
- The conflict amongst different sub-sector is not a policy failure but an implementation problem as there is ample scope within the MFRAs to protect the non-mechanized sector.
- There is a need to develop safeguard fisheries from growing international trend of using trade related measures to modify fisheries management.
- The DAHD&F has proposed a draft inland fisheries bill focusing on sustainable management of inland fisheries and aquaculture. The states may consider this bill and adopt it accordingly. Government also proposed a scheme to encouraged fisheries cooperatives earlier however, no feedback was provided on the progress of this scheme so far by the states.
- Social security is currently inadequate in this sector. However, in the Twelfth Five-Year Plan, schemes on alternative livelihoods and strengthening support during the lean season have been included. There was also a proposal to initiate comprehensive health insurance for the fishers.
- There is a need to focus on untapped domestic market, especially as the trade related conditionalities becoming more stringent.
- There is also a need to raise the profile of the sector and create a strong case for it. There is also a threat from coastal security. Biometric cards are now being introduced for both fisheries management and security management. Registration has also become compulsory. Stakeholders in both the government and NGO’s have to come together to translate the goal of sustainable management.
Following are some moment from the Workshop: