At 3.49 million tonnes, India’s marine fish landings post 15% rise in 2022
Marine fish landings in India in 2022 registered a 15 percent increase at 3.49 million tons compared to the 2021 figure. A 28 percent increase was reported in 2022 compared to the pandemic year in 2020.
Tamil Nadu regained first place in fish landings with 7.22 thousand tons representing 21 percent, followed by Karnataka (6.95 thousand tons) and Kerala (6.87 thousand tons).
Gujarat, which held the first and second positions in previous years, ranked fourth (5.03 thousand tons) in fish landings, recording a decrease of about 13 percent compared to the 2021 landings due to reduced fishing efforts and trade-related issues.
Low average unit price
The estimated value of marine fish landings during 2022 at the landing center level was ₹58,247 crore (8.57 percent increase over 2021) and at the retail center level it was ₹79,865 crore (4.21 percent increase over 2021). The average unit price per kilogram of fish at the landing center was €166.90 (5.69 percent decrease from 2021) and at the retail center it was INR 228.84 (5.55 percent decrease from 2021).
The marine fish resources with the highest landings in 2022 were Indian mackerel, with a contribution of 3.28 thousand tons; sardine oil with 2.51 thousand tons; ribbon fish, 2.27 thousand tons; Cephalopods, 2.06 lakh tons and Thridfin breams, 1.99 lakh tons.
2022 was a comeback year of sorts for sardines, one of the most favored marine fish in the country. Its landings witnessed an increase of 188 percent in 2022 compared to 2021 and ranked second among marine resources in terms of the amount of landed.
Sardine oil mounting
Smaller sardines, the biggest contributor for the past two years in a row, dropped to sixth place with a 25 percent decrease in landings compared to 2021.
In the southern regions of Maharashtra, massive landings of sardine oil by cogs picking up shoals en masse have brought their contribution to light.
Unlike previous years, calm weather conditions encouraged continued fishing activities in 2022. Although a super cyclone appeared in the Bay of Bengal in May, fisheries were not affected as they were during the fishing ban period.
A widespread increase has been observed in the contribution of mid-level landing centers in Odisha and Maharashtra as compared to the major fishing ports that contribute routinely.
The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute is mandated to collect scientific data and estimate marine fish landings to monitor the stock health of the country’s diverse marine fishery resources and assist planners in taking an informed look at the harvesting pattern.