The Kochi-based Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) will be the nodal agency to implement the fifth national marine fisheries census (MFC 2025) that will be conducted in November-December this year.
This massive data collection will cover 1.20 million households across coastal States and Union Territories (UT) and will document their socio-economic conditions, apart from mapping fisheries infra that spans India’s entire coastline. Enumerators selected from the local fishing community will reach every marine fisher household for a 45-day data collection exercise, according to a release on Saturday.
“The census will provide vital information to shape policies on marine fisheries management, welfare schemes, and infrastructure development, directly impacting millions dependent on marine livelihoods,” said Grinson George, Director of CMFRI and the national coordinator of MFC 2025.
In Union Territories
The fisheries census is funded and coordinated by the Department of Fisheries of the Union Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY). The census in mainland India – across nine coastal States –will be done by the CMFRI, while the Fishery Survey of India (FSI) has been entrusted with the data collection from the Union Territories, including islands.
The census will gather demographic and livelihood data of fishing communities, and also details of infrastructure like fishing vessels, fishing gears, harbours, fish landing centres, processing units and cold storage facilities.
A high-level meeting chaired by Neetu Kumari Prasad, Joint Secretary of the Department of Fisheries, reviewed the progress, prerequisites and anticipated timeline of the census. The importance of cooperation and collaboration between State governments and the implementing agencies to ensure the success of the upcoming census was emphasised. The Fisheries departments of various States offered their full support to the exercise, including for finalisation of the list of villages, sharing manpower and resources.
Digital tools
Ms. Prasad said the census will see a paradigm shift through the adoption of modern digital tools, including mobile-based applications, geo-tagging, and real-time data validation. She added that the census was crucial to enhance evidence-based fisheries governance, livelihood planning, and sustainable marine resource management in India.
J. Jayasankar, Head of the Fishery Resources Assessment, Economics and Extension Division (FRAEED) and project leader of the census, provided an update on the preparatory activities already initiated and the detailed timeline of the anticipated activities.
Customised schedules for data collection and deployment strategy, which involves local enumerators, supervised by regional, State, and district-level coordinators were briefed during the meeting. Senior Fisheries Ministry officials, including K. Mohammed Koya, Fisheries Development Commissioner; Sanjay Pandey, Deputy Commissioner; and Manish Bindal, Joint Director, also spoke. The meeting was attended by senior officials from the Ministry, State and UT Fisheries departments, the FSI and the CMFRI.
Published – April 12, 2025 07:50 pm IST