Context:

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has provided technical assistance and knowledge to address the effects of climate change on India's aquaculture and fishing communities.

Key Highlights of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Report

The FAO considers the blue economy to be critical for nutrition and food security, as the ocean, despite covering 70% of the planet, produces only 5-10% of the calories humans consume.

India's aquaculture industry has enormous potential, as it is the world's fastest-growing food production system, growing at a rate faster than the global average.

The FAO supports India by offering legal frameworks for private investors, collaborating with the government to encourage the private sector, and offering technical assistance on the best seed and feed to use.

Sustainable and Equitable growth

Promotes sustainable and equitable growth in aquaculture by establishing systems for organic and natural development, as well as providing opportunities for food production and livelihood.

Emphasizes the need for the fishing industry to adapt to climate change by changing its fishing gear and promoting new fish varieties to consumers.

Small-Scale fisheries

The FAO recognizes the importance of small-scale fisheries and believes that they should be represented at decision-making due to their significant contribution to global fish production.

It advocates for regulations on fishing methods to reduce environmental impact, claiming that purse seine nets have a lower impact than bottom trawling.

Aquaculture in India

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) defines aquaculture as the controlled cultivation of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, molluscs, and aquatic plants for a variety of purposes, including food production.

Freshwater aquaculture is practiced in several states, including West Bengal, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh. It involves breeding and rearing species like catfish, freshwater sharks, and freshwater prawns (shrimp).

Types of aquaculture

Brackish water farming is practiced in coastal wetlands known as bheries in West Bengal and pakkali in Kerala. Nellore district in Andhra Pradesh is known as the "Shrimp Capital of India" because of its large-scale cultured shrimp farming.

Mariculture is the cultivation of marine organisms for food and other products in open oceans, enclosed seas, tanks, and ponds.

Algaculture is the farming of various algae species. Microalgae, also known as phytoplankton or microphytes, make up a large portion of cultivated algae.

Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) recycles byproducts from one species as inputs for another. For example, fed aquaculture (fish, shrimp) is combined with inorganic extractive (seaweed) and organic extractive (shellfish) aquaculture to create balanced systems that are both environmentally sustainable and economically viable.

Seaweed culture is the cultivation of marine algae, also known as seaweed, it has a wide range of applications, including food, textiles, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, fodder, and fertilizer.

Paddy-cum-fish culture involves raising fish in paddy fields that are flooded with water during rice cultivation. This system reduces methane emissions and other greenhouse gasses, increases farm income, and improves the lives of rural residents and farmers.

Potential of fisheries sector in India

India's vast coastal area, which includes 7,500 kilometers of coastline, 2.36 million hectares of ponds and tanks, and 1.1 million hectares of brackish water, greatly contributes to the country's fisheries potential in both marine and inland waters.

India ranks second in the aquaculture industry due to its vast fisheries resources and production capacity.

India is the world's third-largest fish producer, accounting for 8% of total global production. It is also the fourth largest exporter of fish and fishery products.

More than 10% of the world's fish and shellfish species are found in India.

Inland fisheries have shifted from capture to aquaculture over the last 25 years. Freshwater aquaculture now accounts for around 76% of inland fisheries, up from 34% in the middle of 1980.

India's aquaculture industry has grown at an average annual rate of 8%, and it is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.5% between 2023 and 2028, reaching more than INR 2,243 billion by 2026.

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Source:

The Hindu