World Fisheries Day

Context: World Fisheries Day is celebrated on November 21^st every year to highlight the importance of healthy oceans ecosystems and to ensure sustainable stocks of fisheries in the world.

Fisheries in India

• Fisheries is an important sector in India that provides employment to millions of people apart from contributing to the food security of the country.
• India has over 8,000 km of coastline, and an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of over 2 million sq km, and extensive freshwater resources. Thus, fisheries play a vital role in the economy of the country with the practice contributing about 1.07 per cent to the GDP (Gross Domestic Product).
• Fisheries in India makes up to 5.3 per cent to agriculture and allied activities.

Inland fisheries:

Inland fisheries is also a vital part of fisheries in India. India’s freshwater resources consist of:

• Rivers and canals (197,024 km).
• Reservoirs (3.15 million hectares).
• Ponds and tanks (235 million hectares).
• Oxbow lakes and derelict waters (1.3 million hectares).
• Brackishwaters (1.24 million hectares) and estuaries (0.29 million hectares).
• The inland capture fish production has increased from 192,000 tonnes in 1950 to 781,846 tonnes in 2007.

Sources: pib.