The National Workshop on Monitoring Control and Surveillance to design an Action Plan for implementation of MCS in India was held on 1-2 December 2008 in Chennai. It was jointly organised by the Government of India and BOBP-IGO. Representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture, the Planning Commission of the Government of India, the Coast Guard, the Mercantile Marine Department, the Department of Fisheries of the coastal states of Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and the Union Territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, took part, along with representatives from fisher groups and a representative of the FAO.
The workshop reviewed the status of fisheries resources in India and of the coastal states and Union Territories. It discussed in detail such issues as (i) registration and licensing of fishing boats, demarcation of zones, colour coding, communication and surveillance infrastructure; (ii) estimation of fishing capacity, maximum sustainable yield and optimization of fishing fleet; (iii) governance, policy and legislative support to MCS; and (iv) human resource development and (v) the role of non-governmental and community-based organizations in MCS.
On the basis of the deliberations, an Action Plan was prepared to be considered by the Government of India. The Action Plan urged validation of resource stocks, streamlining of registration and licensing procedures, regularization of data collection procedure, training of government staff concerned, and measures to involve local communities in MCS of fisheries resources.