KOCHI, 16 November 2017 : In a major attempt to improve the country’s fisheries sector, the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) now focuses on utilizing the satellite data for the favour of India’s marine fisheries. Exploring the prospects of India’s remarkable achievements in the satellite technology, the CMFRI will take steps to utilize ocean-related data being provided by various satellites to accelerate the growth of the marine fishery.
CMFRI, the largest marine fisheries research body in the country, is in the process of using satellite data for scores of ocean-related studies and analyses with a special focus to identify areas of fish abundance (fishing grounds, critical habitats etc.), to provide advisories to fishermen about the nature of ocean, to understand in-advance various ocean phenomena such as mud bank and changes in sea-surface temperature and to predict the changes occurring in ocean ecosystem owing to climate change.
Utilising global expertise
As part of utilising the global expertise to develop required framework for the purpose, the CMFRI has forged a linkage with the SAFARI (Societal Applications in Fisheries and Aquaculture using Remote Sensing Imagery), an international project developed under the umbrella of Group on Earth Observation (GEO), currently ‘Oceans and Society: Blue Planet’ initiative of the United Nations. The CMFRI will host the second international symposium of SAFARI in Kochi on January 15 to 17 next year.
Preparation of Roadmap
Eminent scientists working on global ocean satellite data, technocrats, oceanographers and marine experts from across the world will converge at the symposium to prepare a roadmap on how to utilize the satellite data for the development of the marine fisheries in Indian context.
“At present, we are unable to predict the fish abundance and there is a delay in assessing the areas of abundance and its dissemination to fishermen. Apart from weather predictions, there is a need to generate prediction based advisories to be given to fishermen so that they will have time to plan their harvest operations”, said Dr Grinson George, Senior Scientist at CMFRI and the coordinator of the symposium told AgriTimes.co.in
The symposium titled ‘Remote Sensing for Ecosystem Analysis and Fisheries’ will find ways and means to apply the remote sensing techniques in the areas such as aquaculture; harvest fisheries; fisheries management; fishery environment and ecology; freshwater, estuarine and marine fisheries; and socio-economics and ICT.
“The conference will deliberate upon the development of user groups who can utilize the satellite data for specific purposes related to fishing and oceanography. This will help in refining the existing technologies and to address gaps in technologies which can support fishing and related activities”, Dr Grinson added.
