No blue economy can be effective without the participation of the coastal communities and it needs to be integrated with gender equality, said V.N.Attri, Professor Chair of Indian Ocean Rim Studies.
The implementation of blue economy in Indian Ocean Region (IOR) including in India should have the involvement of small and marginal fishermen and women to achieve its full objective, he said in a technical session ‘Blue Economy as a new emerging paradigm in IOR and beyond’ at the international conference Aquabe 2019 here.
The concept of blue economy emphasises on the use of local raw material to create a supply chain of marine and aqua resources of which the role of marine fisheries and inland aquaculture is important. The objective of blue economy is to empower local communities; creating job opportunities and accelerating both state domestic product and gross domestic product (GDP) of the country. If implemented properly, the concept has the potential to increase SDP and GDP even at double digit level, he said.
Addressing a special session on Somalia Yemen Development Programme organized as part of IORA, A Ramachandran, Vice Chancellor, Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (Kufos) pointed out that innovation and skill development are the two major spheres which were found lacking in Somalia and Yemen.“We are willing to share our skills and innovations with fishermen of these two countries which will be a win-win situation for all stakeholders,” he said.
Kufos has set apart seats for students from other countries in all its academic programmes. “What we are bothered about is the employability of students passing out from the 32 fisheries colleges in India. The National Skill Mission has been launched to resolve this issue and we are sure that it will pay rich dividends, he said.
Nomvuyo N Nokwe, Secretary General, IORA said that the member countries would chalk out an action plan within six months to resuscitate the fishing sector in Somalia and Yemen based on the wealth data provided by Kufos.