Resilience in Fisheries and Sustainability of Aquaculture

India is a major maritime state and an important aquaculture country in the world. Being home for more than 10% of global fish biodiversity, the country ranks third in the world in total fish production; While marine sector is almost constituted by capture fisheries, aquaculture has been the principal contributor in inland fisheries sector, with a share of77%. With an annual fish production of over 6.8 million tonnes, the sector accounts for a turnover of over Rs. 300 billion, contributing over a percent of total GDP and five per cent of the agricultural GDP. The sector has been one of the major foreign exchange earners, with revenue reaching Rs. 7,555 crore in 2007-08 accounting for about 14% of the agricultural export. Producing 4.7% of the world's fish, India trades to the extent of2.5% in the global fish market. There are however, concerns regarding the stagnating marine fisheries yields, quality deterioration and unregulated access in open waters and continued returns from aquaculture practices. It is in this context that the aspects of resilience and sustainability are being discussed with regard to fisheries and aquaculture respectively