Draft Nat’l Marine Fisheries Policy 2015 finalised

The government has finalised the draft National Marine Fisheries Policy 2015 for optimum utilisation of the marine resources for benefits of the nation, officials said.
"We finalised the draft National Marine Fisheries Policy 2015 keeping consistency with the national, regional and international fisheries policies and management practices for sustainable extraction of marine fisheries and other resources from the Bay of Bengal," joint secretary of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock (MoFL) Md Anisur Rahman told the FE.
He said the draft policy will soon go to the cabinet for approval.  
Earlier, the MoFL approved the draft policy on Thursday last (January 15, 2015), taking into consideration the suggestions of different ministries, departments and stakeholders.
The draft policy follows FAO- CCRF (Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations- FAO- Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries- CCRF), vessel tracking monitoring system (VTMS), large marine ecosystem (LME), marine protected area, monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) and prevent marine pollution (MARPOL).
The National Fisheries Policy 1998 has a chapter that says about the extraction of marine fisheries, development and management that is not time- befitting in the light of the present perspective.   
The objectives of the National Marine Fisheries Policy 2015 are to develop the marine fisheries, protect the biodiversity and ecosystem of maritime zones, poverty alleviation and improvement of the living standard of fishermen that will help fulfill demand of nutrition through meeting the local demand and increase the export and boost the rate of economic growth.
Besides, the policy has the provisions for taking compulsory licensing of fishing vessels, protecting the interest of fishermen, ensure better management for extraction of fisheries and mineral resources from the Bay of Bengal, setting up coastal radar station, introduce group insurance system for fishermen, taking permission from the MoFL for renewal of trawlers licences and its handover.  
Moreover, the country's victory over demarcation of maritime zones of the Bay of Bengal in the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea-ITLOS, 2012 against India and Myanmar helped establish the country's rights to extract maritime resources on 118,813 square- kilometer areas of the Bay of Bengal.   
The country had extracted 579,000 tonnes of fishes from its maritime zones during the fiscal year 2011-12 which was 4,32,000 tonnes during the fiscal year 2002-03. About 1.35 million people are dependent on the marine fishing sector for their livelihood.   
Fisheries, including aquaculture, provide a vital source of food, employment, recreation, trade and economic well-being for people throughout the world, both for present and future generations and should therefore be conducted in a responsible manner.
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