KOCHI: The traditional fishermen and mechanised trawlers caught 3.47 million tonnes of marine fish in 2024, according to the data released by the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) in Kochi on Monday.
The overall fish catch recorded a slight decline of 2% compared to the previous year.
Gujarat retained the top slot in fish landings with 7.54 lakh tonnes, followed by Tamil Nadu (6.79 lakh tonnes) and Kerala (6.10 lakh tonnes).
As per the annual marine fish landing estimates, the Indian mackerel remained the biggest marine resource, recording a total catch of 2.63 lakh tonnes, followed by oil sardine with 2.41 lakh tonnes.
The landing of major species such as Indian mackerel, threadfin breams, oil sardine, ribbonfishes, non-penaeid shrimps and cephalopods recorded a decline in 2024 compared to the previous year, while landings of lesser sardines, penaeid shrimps, anchovies and tunnies increased.
While the West Coast region suffered an overall decrease in landings, the East Coast showed an increasing trend, with exceptions in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.
Maharashtra registered the highest growth of 47% compared to the previous year. West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Odisha also recorded notable increases of 35%, 20% and 18% respectively.
However, states like Karnataka, Goa, and Daman and Diu experienced a significant decline in landings.
The marine resources research institute monitored around 2.5 lakh fishing trips, offering an in-depth view into nationwide effort and productivity.
Mechanised fishing vessels reported an average catch of 2,959 kg per trip, while motorised crafts used by traditional fishermen managed 174 kg per trip.
Non-motorised vessels recorded a modest 41 kg per trip.
The CMFRI report pointed out that cyclonic storms such as Dana, Fengal, Remal, and Asna significantly impacted fishing activities, contributing to the overall decline.
Increased heatwave days in Andhra Pradesh and Kerala further disrupted fishing operations.
Kerala recorded a marginal decrease of 4% in the marine fish catch in 2024 compared to the previous year. The total fish landing in the state was 6.10 lakh tonnes.
Indian oil sardine topped the list of most caught species in the state with 1.49 lakh tonnes, registering a slight increase of 7.6%. Indian mackerel (61,490 tonnes), penaeid shrimp (44,630 tonnes), anchovies (44,440 t) and threadfin breams (33,890 tonnes) were the other major contributors to Kerala’s total marine catch.
Indian mackerel saw a decline of 16% in landings. The year witnessed very low landing and higher landing of oil sardine in different quarters.
The year saw an unusual fluctuation in oil sardine landings in Kerala.
A severe scarcity in the first quarter led to prices escalating to Rs. 350-400 per kg. However, from September onwards, as landings surged exceeding one lakh tonne in the last quarter, prices dropped sharply to Rs. 20-30 per kg.
Compared to 2023, souther districts of the state (Thiruvananthapuram to Ernakulam) recorded a decline, while northern districts (Malappuram to Kasaragod) registered an increase in the landings.
The Fishery Resources Assessment, Economics and Extension Division of the CMFRI estimated the annual marine fish landings of the country through its online data collection system.