Carbon emissions from India’s marine fisheries sector much lower than global level: ICAR-CMFRI

The study was presented at a review meeting of the fisheries component of the network research project National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) of the ICAR held in Kochi on Sunday. The study was conducted at selected fishing centres at all maritime states of the country, dividing the fishing-related activities into three phases — pre-harvesting, harvesting and post-harvesting.

The study said the CMFRI found that the harvest phase (active fishing) in the country took up more than 90 per cent of the fuel used in the sector with annual CO2 emissions from this phase being 4,934 million kg.

The NICRA research project was aimed at studying the impact of climate change on agriculture including crops, livestock, horticulture and fisheries and to develop and promote climate resilient technologies, thereby addressing vulnerable areas of the country.

Dr Grinson George, Principal Scientist at CMFRI, said the increased intensity of cyclones, sea-level rise and warming of the Indian Ocean have led to changes in marine ecosystems among others, causing depletion of some fishes and the emergence of other varieties.

In its efforts to assess the climate change risks in the coastal region, the CMFRI identified cyclone proneness, flood proneness, shoreline changes, heat waves and sea level rise as major hazards that could put coastal lives in peril. Works on a Coastal Climate Risk Atlas that marks areas of risk, including hazards and vulnerabilities in all coastal districts in India, are in progress, Dr George added.