Kochi, April 12: A massive data collection that will cover around 1.2 million fishermen households across all coastal states and union territories will be conducted in the November and December months this year, the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) said on Saturday. The data collection will be carried for the 5th National Marine Fisheries Census (MFC 2025), it said. The census will document socio-economic conditions of marine fisher families and map fisheries infrastructure spanning the entire coastline of the country, it said.

The CMFRI further said that enumerators selected from the local fishing community will reach every marine fisherman household during the 45-day data collection exercise. The MFC 2025 is funded and coordinated by the Department of Fisheries of the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), it said. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research-CMFRI is the nodal agency for the implementation of the census in the nine coastal states and the Fishery Survey of India (FSI) has been entrusted with the data collection from the union territories, including the islands, it added. ‘Threats to Marine Life’: Rahul Gandhi Writes to PM Narendra Modi Condemning Offshore Mining, Urges Government To Cancel Tenders.

"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," CMFRI said. It also said that the fisheries departments of various states have offered their full support to the exercise for a range of areas, including finalisation of village lists and sharing manpower and resources. Neetu Kumari Prasad, Joint Secretary of the Department of Fisheries, Government of India, is quoted as having said that the census is crucial to enhance evidence-based fisheries governance, livelihood planning, and sustainable marine resource management in the country. Centre To Unveil Drone Technology for Fisheries and Aquaculture Sector at ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute in Kochi.

A high-level meeting chaired by Prasad was also held where it was emphasised that cooperation and collaboration between state governments and implementing agencies was important to ensure the success of the upcoming marine fisheries census, the CMFRI release said. "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," Dr Grinson George, Director of CMFRI and National Coordinator of the MFC 2025 said, according to the release.