The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Visakhapatnam News : Fisheries reel under tsunami blow

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jan 16, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam

Fisheries reel under tsunami blow

By Our Special Correspondent

VISAKHAPATNAM, JAN. 15. The damage caused by the tsunami to fishing industry and aquaculture sector is extensive and far surpasses initial estimates.

According to the president of the Seafood Exporters' Association of India (SEAI), U.K. Viswanadha Raju, the tsunami has wiped out many fishing hamlets along the southern coastline. Many fisher-folks were dead or reported missing till date.

``Over 70,000 fishing craft were wrecked. These developments will have a telling effect on the Indian seafood industry which is dependant on sea catches to a considerable extent, undermining its shrimp and cephalopod exports to the global market in the near term," he stated.

While the initial reports had indicated that the damage to the Indian fishing and aquaculture industry was confined to specific areas, which had seriously affected the industry's export capability, detailed assessment of the tsunami impact, which commenced only recently, after taking up of massive relief and rehabilitation measures, revealed that the devastation was extensive with regard to loss of live, social and economic aspects, he claimed.

Aquafarms, boats lost

"The tsunami impact on aquaculture farms was equally devastating. A large number of aqua farms near the coastline were inundated leaving a trail of destruction of property, particularly the critical earthen embankments and seawater pumping stations.

Most of the Indian aqua farms are small and farmer-owned-and-managed. These farms were not insured against natural calamities and therefore, the economic losses will significantly impair the ability of these farms to revive operations,'' Mr. Raju said.

Noting that the ongoing assessment further pointed out to a distinct possibility that there would be a marked capacity reduction in the output from shrimp aquaculture farms in the near term, he also felt that setting up of new farms was likely to be restricted as the Governments of the coastal States intended to tighten the coastal regulatory zone (CRZ) rules.

And the loss to aquaculture sector went beyond farms to shrimp hatcheries, which were invariably situated right on the coastline. Many hatcheries were heavily damaged and this could affect aquaculture farms.

Assurance to importers

However, he assured the importers of Indian seafood that there was no reason for any concern regarding the quality of seafood.

The present catches were all from waters where there was no tsunami impact. The fishing activity in tsunami-affected coastline was yet to resume.

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