Planning for fishery development – search for appropriate policy instruments

Abstract

The Indian fisheries economy for the last several years has been characterised by sluggish growth rates in production (3.5%), inadequate marketing infrastructure, demand and supply imbalances, intersectoral conflicts insignificant contribution of deep sea fishing (1%), Lack of diversification in export trade and apathetic entrepreneurship in offshore fishing. Further, gains from extension of Exclusive Economic Zone (EtZ) are likely to elude us for want of well-identified technological options along with production incentives for the exploitation of living resources of EEZ. Unlike marine fisheries. Inland fisheries have registered a higher growth rate of production. Despite imperfections of marketing system, land-based culture fisheries have been favourably pieced. Fish Farmers Development Agencies (FFOA) have brought 1,50 000 ha under scientific fish farming. Reservoirs (3 million hs) afford opportunities for enhancing inland fish production for augmentation of domestic availabilities. The present paper purports to examine some of these areas so as to have a sound basis for the task of policy formulation for both marine and inland fisheries