Sharp decline of Oil Sardine in Kerala, says CMFRI

Catch of oil sardine has drastically decreased to a meager 3297 tonnes in Kerala last year, according to the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI). Compared to the previous year, 2021 experienced a drop of 75 percent in the sardine catch across the Kerala coast. This was the lowest catch of the fish after 1994 in the state. Again, this was 98 percent lower than the annual average of sardine availability during 1995 - 2020 which is 1. 66 lakh tonnes. The finding was presented at a workshop held at CMFRI on Tuesday with the participation of the representatives of various fishermen organizations