Pollution, water demands threaten India’s inland fisheries

Bhopal/Kochi, Oct 22 (IANS) Pollution, damage to aquatic habitats and growing demand for freshwater threaten India’s inland fisheries and the livelihoods of fishing communities, according to a report by the Bay of Bengal Programme Inter-Governmental Organisation (BOBP-IGO) and the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

The report identifies several challenges to sustainable inland fisheries. These include disrupted river connectivity, floods, droughts, and falling reservoir water levels.

These factors can affect fish populations and the communities that depend on them, as per the findings presented at a workshop in Bhopal on Thursday.

The event marked the launch of work on India’s National Plan of Action for sustainable inland small-scale fisheries.

The report says competition for freshwater, especially for irrigation and other uses, puts additional pressure on aquatic ecosystems.

It calls for fisheries to be considered in wider water-resource planning.

It also points to problems with fishing access and leasing arrangements.

Overlapping responsibilities among fisheries, irrigation, forest, revenue and local authorities pose further challenges.

“These concerns assume greater significance amid growing attention to climate resilience and the need to manage freshwater resources sustainably,” BOBP-IGO Director, Dr P. Krishnan, said.

The report also highlights gaps in data on inland fisheries and the people who depend on them.

Women account for about 44 per cent of India’s reported inland fisher population of 23.12 million. The profile puts the number of women at 10.10 million.

However, their work in fish processing, marketing and unpaid family activities remains poorly documented, and this limits their visibility in official statistics and development plans.

Krishnan said subsistence fishing and informal fish marketing were also underrepresented in available data.

Better information on fishers, catches, and individual water bodies would help authorities plan more effective support.

The two-day workshop is organised by the Union Department of Fisheries in collaboration with BOBP-IGO and hosted by the Madhya Pradesh government.

It brings together officials and other stakeholders to discuss priorities for the sector.

The initiative aims to improve resource management and protect the livelihoods of small-scale fishing communities, in line with FAO guidelines.

–IANS

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