MARINE FISHERY RESOURCES MANAGEMENT: A QUICK SHIFT PARADIGM TO SMARTER MODES

India’s ongoing digital transformation is reshaping traditional sectors, including marine fisheries. The sector now stands at a pivotal point—balancing the management of wild stocks with the expansion of aquaculture under various government initiatives. This transition calls for a paradigm shift from conventional oversight to digitally informed, yet tradition-aware, governance.

The Challenge and the Digital Milieu

India’s small-scale marine fishing fleet is swiftly embracing technologies like communication tools and Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS), enabling near-real-time management. Yet, both policymakers and fishers struggle to keep pace with this rapid shift. Traditional stock assessment models, reliant on long-term processes such as Biological Reference Points (BRPs), are too slow for this dynamic context—making a hybrid management approach essential.

A Proposed Hybrid Assessment Paradigm

The most appropriate new paradigm is one that facilitates a hybridization of management timelines. This approach proposes a two-tiered system:

1. Medium-Term Assessment: Establishes multi-stock harvest indices through ecosystem-based tools such as Ecopath with Ecosim (EwE) to provide a stable strategic foundation.
2. Short-Term (Seasonal) Tweaking: Fine-tunes this baseline seasonally or annually using real-time field and institutional data—accounting for local stock fluctuations, regional dynamics, and market trends.

This system parallels climate forecasting: long-term trends guide broad strategy, while short-term inputs refine immediate actions.

The Integrated Information Cycle and Optimality

The model’s success depends on a seamless “digital data continuum” linking institutions, management agencies, and fishers. This enables a continuous, feedback-driven information cycle—where real-time data generate actionable advisories that, in turn, enhance field-level decisions. Such integration supports optimal resource use by balancing capture fisheries with aquaculture, aided by geo-referenced advisories that direct effort and investment efficiently.

Conclusion

A “smarter” marine fisheries governance model for India must blend the strengths of traditional management with the agility of digital intelligence. By combining medium-term ecosystem assessments with short-term, data-driven adaptations, this hybrid paradigm offers a sustainable, inclusive, and adaptive framework suited to the small-scale nature of India’s fisheries—ensuring long-term productivity and resilience.