'Food and Agriculture Organization 2017 - Few important findings on Fish Script: Dr. Shankar Chatterjee, Former Professor & Head (CPME), NIRD & PR, Hyderabad Nature has created many things in the world of which again many are known to us and many are unknown. Fish is an item which contains omega-3 fatty acids. Two omega-3 fatty acids are found in fish - EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid).These essential nutrients keep our heart and brain healthy. In addition, fish provides nutrients and micronutrients that are essential to cognitive and physical development, especially for the children. Fish is popular in the world and many varieties are available. In India fish is popular among the Bengali, Assamese, Odia, Malayali, many tribes of north-east and others. It is commonly said that most of the festivals and functions like marriage, house-warming etc., Bengali people irrespective of caste offer fish to the guests. However, fish supplies are failing to meet demand and there are major shortages in some critically poor countries where they are needed most. Worldwide, little more than 250 million people depend directly on fisheries and aquaculture for their livelihoods and millions are employed in fisheries and aquaculture value chains such as processing or marketing. Many poor people often rely on fishing as a primary source of income. Increased productivity from sustainable fisheries and aquaculture can be a driver for rural development by mitigating risks to livelihoods and contributing to income generation and employment. Improving the productivity of fisheries and aquaculture is vital to reduce hunger and poverty for millions in the developing world. Sustainable, productive fisheries and aquaculture improve food and nutrition security, increase income and improve livelihoods, promote economic growth and protect our environment and natural resources. The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2017 reviews progress made towards the 17 Goals in the second year of implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. “Life below water Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources” is the 14th goal. Few points are presented from the Report. The first and foremost point is that, “Oceans are the world’s largest ecosystem, home to nearly a million known species, and play a vital role in regulating the global climate system. However, their ability to continue supporting the global population’s economic, social and environmental needs is being compromised. Despite some efforts in conserving oceans, decades of irresponsible exploitation have led to an alarming level of degradation. The sustainability of global fishery resources continues to decline, though at a reduced rate, and while many countries have made progress in combating illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, a more concerted effort is needed. Increased support for small-scale fishers will be critical in light of the coronavirus pandemic to allow them to continue earning a livelihood and nourishing local communities”. Ø Although global marine fish landings is relatively steady at around 80 million tonnes since 1995, the sustainability of world fishery resources has been declining. Ø The proportion of fish stocks sustainably declined from 90 percent in 1974 to 65.8 percent in 2017. Ø The good news is that despite the continuous deterioration, the rate of decline has slowed down over the past decade. Ø Geographically, there are great variations in the proportion of sustainable fish stocks. Ø Some regions are experiencing significant increases in fishing on their stocks. Others have good rates of stock recovery. Ø In 2017, the Mediterranean and Black Sea continued to have the highest percentage of stocks fished at unsustainable levels (62.5 percent), followed by the Southeast Pacific (54.5 percent) and Southwest Atlantic (53.3 percent). On the other hand, the Eastern Central Pacific, Southwest Pacific, Northeast Pacific, and Western Central Pacific had the lowest proportion (13–22 percent) of stocks fished at biologically unsustainable levels. In 1975, World Fish was set up as an international, non-profit research organization with headquarters in Penang, Malaysia, and offices in Asia, Africa, and the Pacific. An extensive range of fishery development activities viz., intensive aquaculture in ponds and tanks, culture based capture fisheries in reservoirs, Coastal Aquaculture, Marine-culture, Sea Weed cultivation, establishment of infrastructure, fishing harbours and fish landing centres, fishing dressing centres and solar drying of fish, domestic marketing, deep sea fishing and tuna processing, ornamental fisheries, trout culture, artificial reefs technology upgradation and capacity building of fishermen and fish farmers are being supported through the State Governments/Implementing agencies.'
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