KOCHI: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the two-day conference of the Fisheries Ministers of south Indian states at the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute at 10 am on Saturday. According to the Fisheries Department officers, the Fisheries Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Maharashtra have confirmed their participation in the conference. Senior officers from Goa, Lakshadweep and Andaman and Nicobar will attend the conference.
There will be deliberations on the implementation of uniform fishing practices to conserve the marine resources and an introduction of minimum legal size to curb juvenile fishing, CMFRI director A Gopalakrishnan told reporters on Friday.
The conference will offer a platform for serious discussions on various issues including the national policy on marine fisheries, a ban on destructive fishing practices, regulations on the manufacture of fishing gear, regulation of fishing vessel building, regulation of illegal and unregulated fishing and illegal entry of fishing vessels into the territorial waters of other countries, said Fisheries additional director P Sahadevan.
There will be discussions on the demand to form a separate fisheries ministry at the Centre, ghost fishing, plastic pollution, climate change and eco-labelling to boost exports. The resolutions accepted by the conference will be brought to the attention of the Union Government, he said.
Kerala Fisheries Minister J Mercykutty Amma will present the initiatives taken by Kerala towards the conservation of marine resources. A stakeholders meeting will be held on Sunday as part of the conference, in which representatives of fishermen, boat owners and seafood exporters will participate. K V Thomas MP, MLAs Hibi Eden, S Sarma, K J Maxi, John Fernandes and Mayor Soumini Jain will attend.
Warming of Indian Ocean can lead to extinction of marine species: Experts
Kochi: The Indian Ocean is warming at an alarming pace and it is posing a threat to the marine species. Marine scientists, who participated in the opening session of the Winter School on climate change at the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) on Thursday shared their concern over the impact of climate change on Indian fisheries through changes in stock productivity and its distribution. This phenomenon can lead to the extinction of marine species.
Increased water temperature and higher carbon dioxide concentration make oceans more acidic, said Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS) vice-chancellor A Ramachandran, who inaugurated the 21-day winter school.