Decline in Marine Fish Catch in Dakshina Kannada Due to Multiple Factors

Marine fish catch in Dakshina Kannada has seen a significant decline of 28.04% in the 2024-25 financial year, dropping to 1.72 lakh tonnes from 2.39 lakh tonnes in 2023-24, according to D. Siddaiah, Joint Director of the Department of Fisheries in Dakshina Kannada.

Fisheries sector stakeholders attribute this drop to various factors, including rising sea temperatures, illegal fishing practices using lights, overfishing, and bull trawling. Siddaiah emphasized the importance of extending the current two-month fishing ban (June and July) to three months, until August, to allow fish stocks to recover. He called for a uniform fishing ban across the West Coast, urging all coastal states to reach a consensus on implementing this extended ban. According to Siddaiah, this additional month would greatly aid in boosting fish production.

Nitin Kumar, former Chairman of the Karnataka Fisheries Development Corporation, echoed the call for a uniform three-month ban, noting that unscientific and illegal fishing practices are rampant along the West Coast. He also highlighted that approximately 70% of trawling boats in Mangaluru have been idle for the past three months due to the lack of a catch. While deep-sea fishing boats had a good catch in August and September 2024, the situation worsened afterward, with no expected recovery in January.

A report by the College of Fisheries, Mangaluru, titled Rapid Assessment of Blue Economy Potential in Karnataka, further pointed to unsustainable fishing practices and an unchecked increase in fishing vessels as major contributors to the decline in fish stocks. Additionally, the increasing demand from the fish meal industry and the impact of marine pollution are further threatening marine life, as toxic waste, habitat destruction, and pollution disrupt marine ecosystems.

In light of these challenges, the report stresses the need for uniform policies, stricter enforcement, and sustainable fishing practices to protect marine biodiversity and secure the livelihoods of fishermen in the region.

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