Archive · 22 May 2025
Overfishing Threatens India's Ocean Wealth and Livelihoods
India's fishing industry is catching a lot of fish, but many small fishermen struggle while overfishing damages the oceans.
Bigger boats and small nets catch too many young fish, hurting the fish population.
Some fish populations have crashed in other places, and the same could happen in India.
To fix this, India needs better rules about how much fish can be caught and what size fish can be caught.
They also need to stop the industry that turns discarded fish into meal, which encourages more fishing.
If changes are made, the fishing industry can become more sustainable.
India's marine fisheries have stabilized, but inequity and overfishing persist.
Small-scale fishers catch a small percentage of the total volume, while many live in poverty.
Indiscriminate trawling damages marine life by catching juvenile fish and non-target species.
Overfishing has led to the collapse of fisheries in other countries, and could in India.
Solutions include harmonizing regulations, limiting bycatch, and empowering local communities.
- Who
- Small-scale fishers, larger mechanized operations, and regulatory bodies.
- What
- Threat to ocean wealth and livelihoods due to overfishing.
- When
- Ongoing, with urgent need for reform.
- Where
- India's coastal waters and fishing villages.
- Why
- Unsustainable fishing practices are depleting marine resources and harming communities.
Unsustainable Fishing Practices
Sustainable Fishing Practices
Fishing Focus
Unsustainable Fishing Practices
Focus on long-term sustainability and ecosystem health.
Sustainable Fishing Practices
Prioritize immediate profits.
Regulation
Unsustainable Fishing Practices
Enact harmonized, science-based fishing regulations.
Sustainable Fishing Practices
Current regulations are sufficient.
- India's Marine Catch
- 3 to 4 million tonnes per year
- Percentage of Fishers: Small-Scale
- 90%
- Volume of Catch: Small-Scale Fishers
- 10%
- Fisher Families Below Poverty Line
- 75%
- Minimum Mesh Size (damaging)
- <25mm
- Canada Cod Fishery Crash
- 1992
- California Sardine Fishery Closures
- 1967 to 1986 & recent decades
- Location of Threadfin Bream Catch Increase
- Kerala