The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute will take a lead role in formulating a national-level action plan for the sustainable management of marine and coastal ecosystems.
As per the direction of NITI Aayog, CMFRI will collaborate with the World Wildlife Fund-India to draft the management strategies for strengthening the resilience to achieve healthy and productive ocean ecosystems.
NITI Aayog, CMFRI and WWF-India will jointly organise a two-day session of eminent marine biologists, environmentalists, technocrats, fisheries experts across the country and senior officials of fisheries departments from all the maritime States on July 4 and 5 at the CMFRI. The draft action plan will be finalised at the end of the session.
A Gopalakrishnan, CMFRI Director, said that the conglomeration of experts from various sectors would identify the ways and means for the protection of ocean wealth in a long-term view and the draft action plan will be circulated among the stakeholders for feedback. This will have a composite route map for boosting the contribution of marine and coastal ecosystems to the national and local GDP as an incentive for protection and sustainable management.