Centre urged to protect interest of fisherfolk

Kerala Fisheries Minister K Babu has urged the Centre to protect the interest of the fisher-folk while framing the National Fishing Policy.

“We have to bear in mind that the fisher-folk is the key stakeholder of the policy and they should be considered in all development activities and policies towards a Blue Economy,” the Minister said.

He was inaugurating the three-day international conference on “Towards a sustainable Blue Economy: Production, Strategies and Policies” organised by Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies here on Thursday.

The Minister’s remark assumes significance at a time when the fishing community raised complaints for not including them in various committees while framing the national fishing policy.

He pointed out that fishermen and coastal communities who are directly dependent on the Indian Ocean for their livelihood are certainly facing challenges with adverse consequences of income, fish supply, etc.

Ola M Johannessen of Nansen Environmental and Remote Sensing Centre, Norway, said that global warming is alarmingly affecting the Indian Ocean, which is the largest source of biological and physical phenomena.

The climate change has resulted in rising of sea level surface, increase in atmospheric temperature and degeneration of fishery wealth which have disrupted the ocean ecosystem.

On the sidelines of the meet, B Madhusoodana Kurup, Vice Chancellor, KUFOS, said that ocean is the most dependable natural resource to ensure the food security of humankind. The meet will discuss ways and means to use ocean and inland resources for improving GDP without disrupting the ocean life and environment.

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