KOCHI, 29 October 2025: A nationwide enumeration effort to map India’s marine fishers will be officially launched on Friday, marking the start of household data collection under the 5th Marine Fisheries Census (MFC) 2025.
Union Minister of State for Fisheries George Kurian will inaugurate the exercise and a national workshop at the ICAR–Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) at 10 am.
The census aims to cover over 1.2 million fisher households across coastal states and Union Territories, generating vital data to guide sustainable fisheries management and schemes benefiting the marine fishing community. The initiative is being carried out by the Department of Fisheries under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana, with CMFRI as the nodal agency and the Fishery Survey of India as operational partner.
Enumerators drawn from local fishing communities will conduct a 45-day survey of every marine fisherman household.
The first fully digital census
The Marine Fisheries Census, held once every five years, records information on fishers, households, fishing vessels, and gear. MFC 2025 introduces a fully digital, geo-referenced system for the first time. CMFRI has developed mobile and tablet-based applications to speed up data entry and reduce manual errors.
Two digital tools—VYAS-BHARAT and VYAS-SUTRA—will also be released to streamline census data handling.
Officials said the updated data will support policies to improve fisher welfare, enhance marine governance, and strengthen coastal livelihoods.
Following the launch, the Minister will inaugurate the National Marine Fisheries Data Centre, envisaged as a centralized repository of fisheries statistics.
Economic Advisor to the Fisheries Ministry Dr Ajay Srivastava will preside over the launch programme. Hibi Eden MP, T J Vinod MLA, Fisheries Secretary Dr Abhilaksh Likhi, CMFRI Director Dr Grinson George, CIFT Director Dr George Ninan and FSI Director General Dr Sreenath K R are expected to attend.
Image credit: geospatialworld.net
