The Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies will hold an international workshop on fisheries management for Indian Ocean Rim countries here from December 9 to 21.
Participants from Tanzania, the Republic of Yemen, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Sri Lanka and India will attend the 12-day training programme which will review the status of fish stocks, the existing resource database and management practices being followed and propose appropriate follow-up action and activities.
B. Madhusoodana Kurup, Vice-Chancellor, KUFOS, said the programme aims to improve fisheries management for sustainability and to conserve marine resources in the Indian Ocean RIM countries.
The programme is expected to provide international exposure to 15 fisheries practitioners of the member countries and encourage them to exchange ideas and experiences regarding fisheries management.
He said the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IORARC) attaches high priority to the fisheries sector, which employs more than 20 million families in the India Ocean region.
At a per capita consumption of about 12 kg per annum, fish supplies 30 per cent of the total annual protein consumption in this region. Fish comprises an important part of the diet, contributing as much as 70 per cent of the annual protein intake in many Indian Ocean RIM countries. The region’s fisheries contributed 11.3 million tonnes or 12.5 per cent of the world’s catch, he said.
However fisheries in these regions were facing severe challenges such as over-fishing and habitat degradation, endangerment of commercially important fish stocks, exotic invasion, and competition among traditional, mechanised and motorised sectors, which were affecting the income of fishermen and fish availability to consumers.
Against this background, he said a regional training programme on fisheries management is proposed for the benefit of participants from the IORARC member countries, which would bring together researchers and resource managers to review the status of fish stocks and propose follow-up action.
The programme will be inaugurated by Kerala Fisheries Minister K. Babu on Monday.
2013, The Hindu Business Line