Fisheries is an important sector in India--it provides employment to millions of people and contributes to food security of the country. With a coastline of over 8,000 km, an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of over 2 million sq km, and with extensive freshwater resources, fisheries play a vital role. Presently, fisheries and aquaculture contribute 1.07 per cent to the national GDP, and 5.30 per cent to agriculture and allied activities, while the average annual value of output during the Tenth Five Year Plan (2002-2007) was Rs31,682.50 crores.Marine Fisheries contributes to food security and provides direct employment to over 1.5 mn fisher people besides others indirectly dependent on the sector. The total marine fisherfolk population of 3.57 mn is in 3,305 marine fishing villages spread across the coastal States and Union Territories (including islands). Of these, 0.90 mn are active fisher people, and another 0.76 mn fisher people are involved in other fisheries-related activities.The Indian coastline can be delineated into 22 zones, based on the ecosystem structure and functions. The Indian boat type ranges from the traditional catamarans, masula boats, plank-built boats, dug out canoes, machwas, dhonis to the present day motorized fibre-glass boats, mechanized trawlers and gillnetters. The total number of fishing vessels fishing in the EEZ, as per the 2005 national census (including in the Andaman and Nicobar, and Lakshadweep islands), was 243, 939, which includes 59,743 mechanized vessels and 76,372 motorized vessels, while the rest are non-motorized vessels. There are 1,332 landing centres along the coast (excluding the Andaman and Nicobar, and Lakshadweep islands).India's marine capture fish production ,increased from 520,000 tonnes in 1950 to 3.15 million tonnes in 2007. The bulk of the catch comprises oil sardines, followed by penaeid and non-penaeid shrimp, Indian mackerel, Bombay duck, croakers, smaller quantities of cephalopods, other sardines and threadfin breams.(CMFRI 2008).
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