Economic efficiency of deep sea shrimp fishery operations in Kerala

Since the past many years the marine fishery sector of Kerala has been and continues to be one of the major sources of fish. The trend shows that the consumption of fish is on a rise and there has been an unceasing increase of issues pertaining to food secunty in terms of spiraling of the fish prices as well as non-availability of fish. With the decrease in catch per unit effort of fish resources, there is a critical requisite to identify new fishery resources to sustain the fish food security of the country. The marine fishing sector has witnessed vast technological developments in both harvest and post-harvest fisheries during the last few decades. Deep-sea shrimp fishing operations in Kerala started in 1999 with its initial phase registering high landings, but dropped down considerably in the subsequent years.This study was carried out to analyze the economic evaluation of deep-sea shrimp fishery of Kerala. The study was conducted in Sakthikulangara (Kollam District), Vypin and Cochin Fisheries Harbours (Ernakulum District) along the Kerala coast during the period August 2010 - May 2011. The primary data on craft and gear, capital investment, fixed cost, operational cost, catch, species composition and revenue were collected from 90 deep-sea shrimp trawlers. The results indicated that the operational cost for deep-sea shrimp trawlers was very huge when compared to coastal trawlers. The average operational qsts for deep-sea shrimp trawlers targeted for Red ring was Rs. 209391 and the net operating income was Rs. 94163 per trip, whereas, in the case of other deep-sea shrimps the average operating costs and net operating income were Rs. 146737 and Rs. 55870, respectively. Of the total operational cost, expense incurred on fuel was the most significlirt factor contributing 55 percent followed by crew share (22 percent) and ice (7 percent). The study suggests that concerted efforts are required for the sustenance of the sector, which would indisputably contribute additional fish landings for the State and would ensure fish food security