Govt seeks fishers’ views to frame National Plan of Action on small-scale fisheries

India’s efforts to build the National Plan of Action for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries (NPOA-SSF) have entered a crucial phase, as the Central Government is spearheading large-scale community consultations across the coastal States to seek fishers’ views in framing the plan.

Community-led stakeholder consultations were held at Kakdwip in West Bengal and Baleswar in Odisha, while the Centre requested coastal States and union territories to conduct their own State-level consultations and consolidate fishers’ views for framing the plan.

The Union Department of Fisheries is leading the consultation process, with the Bay of Bengal Programme Inter-Governmental Organisation (BOBP-IGO) facilitating and coordinating the exercise.

Sharing feedback

In a letter, the Department of Fisheries asked the fisheries departments of the coastal States and UTs to designate a nodal officer or team, organise stakeholder consultations this month and share the feedback to the National Task Force which is drafting the NPOA-SSF.

Union Fisheries Secretary Abhilaksh Likhi said these consultations are not a formality to be completed before the plan is drafted. They are where the plan is written. This is intended to ensure that the proposed NPOA reflects the concerns and priorities of fishing communities at the grassroots level.

Parallel to the State-level exercise, a community-led consultation process is also under way as part of framing the NPOA. As many as 14 fisher community and civil society organisations have joined the process by signing a Letter of Cooperation, which include National Federation of Small-Scale Fish Workers (NFSF), National Fishworkers’ Forum (NFF), South Indian Federation of Fishermen Societies (SIFFS), District Fishermen’s Youth Welfare Association (DFYWA) and Mahavir Machchhimar Sahakari Mandali (MMSM).

Surabhi Rai, Joint Secretary, Union Department of Fisheries said that the consultations would help record the voices of fishers and fish workers so that they are reflected in the policy. In India the livelihood of about 30 million fisherfolk are linked to fisheries and allied activities, who significantly contribute to the food and nutritional security of the country, Surabhi Rai said.

The NPOA-SSF is being developed in line with the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and India’s National Policy on Marine Fisheries, 2017.

Addressing broader issues

The plan will address a broad range of issues affecting small-scale fishing communities, including access to fisheries resources, sustainable fisheries management, decent work, gender equality, climate change and disaster risk, said P Krishnan, Director, BOBP-IGO.

The consultations will be conducted in local languages and will involve a broad cross-section of fishing communities, including crew and share workers, migrant fish workers, fish vendors, dry-fish processors and young people.

The draft NPOA-SSF is targeted for release on World Fisheries Day, November 21, followed by public review, finalisation and notification in 2027.

Small-scale fisheries support a large number of coastal households but continue to face challenges relating to access to resources, livelihood security, safety at sea and recognition of the contribution of women to the sector.