Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: Senior scientist Shailesh Nayak said that the potential for fishing, particularly deep ocean fishing, is under-exploited in comparison to the exploitable marine resources available.
“Just 12% of the species-specific forecast of the potential for tuna is harvested,” stated Nayak, who formerly served as interim chairman of ISRO and is currently the head of the National Institute of Advanced Studies in Bengaluru.
According to Nayak, technology has been created to identify locations with high levels of the algal blooming phenomenon, where the catch is likely to be poor, in order to make fishing more efficient.
“Satellite-based advisories depending upon availability of food (Chlorophyll), environmental conditions, and currents are dished out daily,” Dr. Nayak stated, adding that the fishing community is informed of these in local languages as well as via the internet and applications.
He noted that although 91% of the fish stock in India’s seas is healthy and 87% is sustainable, the country’s potential output estimates are 5.31 million tonnes, but the fisheries only contributes 3.8 million tonnes.
Meanwhile, Dr Nayak said harvesting freshwater from the sea could be the next big thing in India’s blue economy with two low temperature desalination based plants in Lakshwadeep in operation.
Dr. Nayak added that a project study for a plant with a capacity of 10 MLD has already been completed and that offshore plants will now be tested.
“The industrial world is increasingly looking for ‘clean energy’ to replace the traditional fossil fuels, so harnessing ocean energy would be crucial,” he added, adding that offshore wind energy farms are another sector.
Earlier, Dr. Sanil Kumar, chief scientist at CSIR-NIO, emphasized the increasing significance of oceans in the Indian and worldwide economies, especially with regard to the blue economy.
On the occasion of the diamond jubilee, celebrate our accomplishments and look forward to the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead as NIO celebrates 60 years of progress in ocean sciences and technology, added Kumar.
