The Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries (DADF) has constituted an expert committee to prepare a revised National Marine Fisheries Policy.

It is pointed out that the country’s marine fisheries exploit about 3.5 million tonnes (mt) of fish annually and it impacts the livelihood of nearly four million coastal people. Sustainability is a key issue as the fisheries harvests renewable natural resources. The sector is poised for further improvement and growth for which it needs a firm policy support.

To draft the policy, the committee has decided to elicit opinions and views of all stakeholders on key issues affecting marine fisheries through a questionnaire. There are 85 questions which can be answered in Yes/No format. The questionnaire in English can be filled online, whiel that in regional languages and Hindi, the PDF form can be downloaded and printed.

The last date for submission of your views is December 10.