CIFT-FAO International Workshop cum Training Programme on

CIFT-FAO International Workshop cum Training Programme on "Technical measures as tools for Fisheries Management in the Indian Scenario" was organized by the Fishing Technology Divisionof Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, Cochin on 12^th February, 2014. The programme was organised under  the  project “Green Fishing Systems for Tropical Seas” funded by National Fund for Basic, Strategic and Frontier Application Research in Agriculture (NFBSFARA) of ICAR. Seventy stakeholders including scientists, researchers, academicians, policy makers, fishers and international experts participated in theprogramme to make a roadmap for developing strategies for adoption of technical measures for effective management of marine fisheries in India.

Chief Guest and Moderator, Dr. Y.S. Yadava, Director, Bay of Bengal Programme Inter-Governmental Organisation (BOBP-IGO) inaugurated the workshop and stressed the importance of sustainable fishing in his inaugural address. Dr. Petri Suuronen, Fishery Industry Officer (Fishing Technology), FAO, Rome, the main resource person addressed the gathering and specified the need for combining fishing technology with governance. Dr. T.K. SrinivasaGopal, Director, CIFT in his Presidential Address pointed out the need for energy saving in the fisheries sector in the context of increasing fuel prices and the rising fishing fleet size. Dr. Leela Edwin, Convener and Principal Investigator of the project gave a brief of the workshop. Dr. Saly N. Thomas, Principal Scientist welcomed the gathering and Dr. V.R. Madhu, Senior Scientist proposed the vote of thanks.

 Dr. Y.S. Yadava, Director, Bay of Bengal Programme Inter-Governmental Organization
(BOBP-IGO) inaugurating the workshopand  releasing the book on
‘Mechanized Marine Fishing Systems: India’

A book on “Mechanised Marine Fishing Systems: India” authored by Leela Edwin, P. Pravin, V.R. Madhu, Saly N. Thomas, M.P. Ramesan, M.V. Baiju, Renju Ravi, P.H. Dhiju Das, M.R. Boopendranath and B. Meenakumari was released on the occasion.

The technical session started with an introductory presentation by Dr. Y.S. Yadava. He pointed out the conditionalities and necessities in Indian fisheries for future direction. Dr. P. Pravin, Co-PI (GFSTS), Principal Scientist, CIFT delivered a talk on Responsible Fishing Interventions - Indian Scenario. He talked about the technological advancements in Indian fisheries, responsible fishing interventions like energy efficient vessels, new gear designs, bycatch reduction technologies and the scope for improving implemention. Dr. Petri Suuronen delivered talk on “LIFE (Low Impact Fuel Efficient) Fishing - Challenges and opportunities”. His talk featured the impacts of fishing on the environment, fuel consumption issues, low impact and fuel efficient (LIFE) fishing, modifications to trawl gear to reduce ecosystem impact, fuel saving options in trawl fisheries, future trawling technology, alternative fishing gears, the need for changing fishing practices and the barriers to transition.

                  Releasing the book on ‘Mechanized Marine                                  Petri Suuronen, Fishery Industry Officer
                                  Fishing Systems: India’                                               (Fishing Technology), Food and Agriculture
                                                                                                                        Organization (FAO), Rome delivering his talk

In the group discussion moderated by Dr. Y.S. Yadava, participants had an active interaction with the resource persons from FAO, BOBP and CIFT regarding the key elements and strategies for implementing Low Impact Fuel-efficient Fishing (LIFE) strategies for fisheries management along the Indian coast with specific reference to use of technical management measures. The workshop cum training came to an end by summing up by the moderator.