Pelagic fisheries resources of India-Winter School on Towards Ecosystem Based Management of Marine Fisheries – Building Mass Balance Trophic and Simulation Models

The marine fish production in India has progressively risen to the tune of 2.7 million t in 2000 due to the introduction of larger mechanized boats, motorisation of the country crafts, modernization in harvesting sector coupled with extension of fishing to deeper grounds since the late 1950s. The average annual marine fish production of India for the period 1985 to 2003 was 2.5 million t of which the pelagics contributed 1.4 million t accounting for 51% against a potential yield of 1.92 million t of this group from the Indian EEZ During the last decade pelagic resources contributed 46-56% (avg. 51%) of the total marine fish production. Almost 70% of the production was obtained from within the 50 m depth zone. As per the revalidation, annual potential yield from the EEZ of India is 3.9 million t, out of which 2.21 million t are from within the 50 m depth zone and 1.69 million t from beyond it (Anon, 1991). The current yield from 0-50m depth zone is at the optimum level, and hence does not offer any scope for increasing the yield and in fact this zone requires regulatory management for sustaining the yield. Therefore, the region beyond 50 m depth has to be the focus of expansion