The Gujarat government has permitted the creation of 25 artificial reefs in an attempt to increase the diversity and count of fish in coastal areas. Fisheries Minister Raghavji Patel while announcing this decision said that the initiative for the creation of new reefs has been implemented under the Government of India’s ‘Pradhanmantri Matsya Sampada’ yojana.
He said the artificial reef is used for the conservation of fish and other lives in the sea by providing them with breeding grounds and space to live. The minister said that under the ‘Promotion of Sustainable Fisheries & Livelihood Through Artificial Reef” project, 25 artificial reefs are to be established in around 3 to 7 nautical miles area of coast in seven districts including Gir Somnath, Amreli, Junagadh, Porbandar, Dwarka, Jamnagar and Kutch.
He said as per the specification suggested by the Government of India, 250 modules will be included in a single reef. Each module’s cost will be around Rs. 12,400 while the total cost of one reef is fixed at Rs. 31 lakh. In all, 25 artificial reefs will come up for Rs. 775 lakh, of which 60 percent share shall come from the Centre while 40 percent share will be on account of the State government. Patel said Gujarat produced 7.33 mt fisheries in 2005-06 which went up to 8.73 lakh mt in 2021-22. Gujarat’s fishery export has doubled and foreign revenue earning has increased five times by 2021-22. Gujarat enjoys a 17 percent share of India’s total fisheries exports.