KOCHI: In what is seen as an effort to beef up coastal security and ensure the safety of fishermen, the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) has developed a database of all the fish-landing centres in the country. It describes the Geographic Information System (GIS) location of each centre and provides information on the types of fishing depending on the season as well as the extent of operations.
CMFRI’s Mangalore Research Centre principal scientist A P Dineshbabu told Express the database would ensure the security of fishermen apart from monitoring intrusions into Indian territorial waters. Prepared by a research team comprising 22 scientists and 85 experts, the inventory contains details of traditional fish-landing spots as well as modern fishing harbours.
“The database will help in efficient marine spatial planning of various activities by protecting the security and livelihood of the fisherfolk," said Dineshbabu. As the route of fishermen and the extent of fishing along the coast can be easily identified with the help of the database, the Navy and other security agencies can pass on information about the presence of fishing boats to foreign ships and other navigators near Indian waters, he said.
The team collected information on 1,278 landing centres spanning all coastal states (Gujarat, 129; Maharashtra, 149; Goa, 34; Karnataka, 93; Kerala, 201; Tamil Nadu, 359; Andhra Pradesh, 204; Orissa, 54 and West Bengal, 55).
CMFRI director A Gopalakrishnan handed over the GIS-based documentation of the fish-landing centres to Vice Admiral A R Karve, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern Naval Command, recently.