Marine fisheries development - an outlook for 21st century and key policy issues

Abstract

Marine fisheries will have to play a crucial role in augmenting supplies both. In the domestic as wall as export markets. Thrust of the development will be on deep-sea and brackishwater resources. Ths exploitation of these resources, particularly deepsea, will require a rapid transition from charter of vessels to joint ventures aid owned fleat with modern and sophisticated technology. Creation of sizeable owned fleet wou'd require massive credit and fiscal aupport. I his thrust for exploitation of deepsea resources can be sustained with concerted attempts to formulate and implement strategies for product development and marketing In both domestic as well as export markets. This will also require the attention to develop the necessary infrastructure to hendle such vessels, onshore processing facilities, batter management of fishing harbours, cold chiin grid in the domestic markets, development of trensit and terminal markets at wholesale and retail levels. Boatbuilding yards will have to take up new challenges. This also throws up challenges for net-marketing industry in this country. All these developments would also require massive efforts for training and development of manpower. This paper deals with all these areas in a systems framework and suggests appropriate policy suppoit measures for strengthening various elements of the system.