5th national marine fisheries census in Nov-Dec

Kochi: A massive data collection covering 1.2 million fisher households across coastal states and UTs for the 5th National Marine Fisheries Census (MFC) 2025 will be conducted in Nov-Dec this year. The census will document the socio-economic conditions of marine fisher families and map fisheries infrastructure spanning the entire coastline of the country. Enumerators selected from the local fishing community will reach every marine fisherman household for a 45-day data collection exercise.
This was decided at a high-level online meeting chaired by Union fisheries joint secretary Neetu Kumari Prasad on Wednesday and attended by senior officials from the ministry, state and UT fisheries departments, Fisheries Survey of India (FSI), and Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI).
The MFC 2025 is funded and coordinated by the fisheries ministry under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY). CMFRI is the nodal agency for the implementation of the census in mainland India nine coastal states and FSI is entrusted with the data collection from the union territories, including islands. The census will gather demographic and livelihood data of fishing communities, and infrastructure details, including fishing vessels, gears, harbours, fish landing centres, processing units, and cold storage facilities.
Neetu said that this census would see a paradigm shift through the adoption of modern digital tools, including mobile-based applications, geo-tagging, and real-time data validation. She added that the census is crucial to enhance evidence-based fisheries governance, livelihood planning, and sustainable marine resource management in India.
"The census will provide vital information to shape policies on marine fisheries management, welfare schemes, and infrastructure development, directly impacting millions dependent on marine livelihoods," said Grinson George, CMFRI director and national coordinator. The meeting discussed customised schedules for data collection and the deployment strategy, which involves local enumerators from marine fishing villages, supervised by regional, state, and district-level coordinators. MSID:: 120235276 413 |