India's Palk Bay Scheme

A new scheme wants to end bottom trawling, and the huge ecological damage from it, in the Palk Bay region.

 India's Palk Bay Scheme

---

Read more on - Polity | Economy | Schemes | S&T | Environment

---

• The story: The Union Government is concerned about ending bottom trawling in seas. Hence, it is now planning to increase the unit cost of deep-sea fishing vessels from Rs.80 lakh to Rs.1.3 crore, under the Palk Bay scheme, to make it more attractive to fisherfolk. The Marine Fisheries Bill 2021 was also brought, in the Monsoon session.
• Palk Bay Scheme: The Scheme is “Diversification Of Trawl Fishing Boats From Palk Straits Into Deep Sea Fishing Boats”, and was launched in 2017 as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme.

1. It was launched as part of the umbrella Blue Revolution Scheme, which is part of the Government's efforts to promote fishing as an allied activity for farmers in order to double their incomes.
2. It is a Tamil Nadu-specific scheme aimed at providing 2,000 vessels in three years to fishermen of the State and motivating them to abandon bottom trawling.

• Bottom trawling: This is an ecologically destructive practice, and involves trawlers dragging weighted nets along the sea-floor, causing great depletion of aquatic resources. Another goal of the scheme is to “reduce fishing pressure” around the proximity of the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) so that Tamil Nadu fishermen do not cross the IMBL and fish in Sri Lankan waters.

1. The Funding pattern of the scheme is Centre 50%, State 20%, Institutional funding 10% and Beneficiary 20%. The Scheme is limited to vessels costing upto Rs. 80 Lakh.
2. The scheme is not part of Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana.

• Marine Fisheries Bill: The Bill proposes to only grant licenses to vessels registered under the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958, to fish in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). It proposes punishments for fishermen breaching the EEZ without a licence, not complying with Indian Coast Guard (ICG) orders, and obstructing ICG officials. It prohibits fishing by foreign fishing vessels, thus nationalising our EEZ, and proposes social security for fish workers and calls for protection of life at sea during severe weather events.
• Maritime Zones: Under the UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea - 1982), which India ratified in 1995, the sea and resources in the water and the seabed are classified into three zones - the Internal Waters (IW), the Territorial Sea (TS) and the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

1. The IW is on the landward side of the baseline - it includes gulfs and small bays. The TS extends outwards to 12 nautical miles from the baseline - coastal nations enjoy sovereignty over airspace, sea, seabed and subsoil and all living and non-living resources therein.
2. The EEZ extends outwards to 200 nautical miles from the baseline. Coastal nations have sovereign rights for exploration, exploiting, conserving and managing all the natural resources therein. Since fisheries is a state subject, fishing in the IW and TS come within the purview of the states concerned.
3. Other activities in the TS and activities, including fishing beyond the TS up to the limit of the EEZ, are in the Union list.

• Palk Bay: It is a semi-enclosed shallow water body with a water depth maximum of 13 m, located between the southeast coast of India and Sri Lanka. It is located between 8° 50′ and 10° North latitudes and 78° 50′ and 80° 30′ East longitudes. In the southern regions, wind seas dominate. The north-eastern region of Palk Bay is exposed to the Bay of Bengal through the shallow Palk Strait and hence swells can enter. To the south, the Adam's Bridge separates Palk Bay from the Gulf of Mannar.
• EXAM QUESTIONS: (1) Explain the various measures taken by government to promote the fisheries sector in India. (2) What is the political significance of the Palk Bay region? Explain.

Read more on - Polity | Economy | Schemes | S&T | Environment

#fisheries #bottomtrawling #palkbay

Join UPSC Self Prep course | Online Course (PT Gurukul)  | Covid Special Course | Join PT courses

* Content sourced from free internet sources (publications, PIB site, international sites, etc.). Take your own subscriptions. Copyrights acknowledged.