Keralam’s seafood sector has launched a sustainability initiative with a draft state fisheries management plan and a digital tracking framework aimed at strengthening responsible fishing practices and expanding the state’s share in the global seafood market, SEAI members on Saturday said.
The initiatives were unveiled at an annual stakeholder consultation hosted by the Seafood Exporters Association of India (SEAI) on Willingdon Island, attended by government officials, marine scientists, seafood exporters and sustainability organisations.
A statement by SEAI said that stakeholders agreed on a roadmap to seek Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification for Keralam’s key shrimp and cephalopod fisheries.
The Draft Kerala State Fisheries Management Plan, prepared by scientists at the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), proposes science-based harvest control rules and gear restrictions to prevent juvenile overfishing and improve the long-term productivity of marine resources, the statement said.
“International retailers are increasingly demanding certified sustainable seafood. This unified framework ensures that Keralam seafood remains highly competitive, fully compliant, and recognised globally for responsible practices,” SEAI CEO K N Raghavan said.
The Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) announced that mandatory online registration for local fish dealers and aggregators would be introduced next month, creating a digital audit trail from coastal landing centres to seafood processing plants, the statement said.
The Kerala Fisheries Department is also deploying digital trawl footprint tracking and a mobile enforcement application, while making square-mesh codends mandatory to protect juvenile fish stocks, it said.
Innovations supported by the MSC Ocean Stewardship Fund and presented by the ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (ICAR-CIFT) showed that modified trawl gear could reduce fuel consumption, carbon emissions and non-target bycatch in the deep-sea fleet, SEAI said.
The stakeholders also identified the need to accelerate the adoption of Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) to bring Keralam’s fleet in line with global benchmarks and facilitate full access to the US market for wild-caught shrimp, the statement said.
The association said CSR funds from public sector enterprises such as Cochin Shipyard, along with support under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), would be mobilised to support vessel upgrades, certification costs and community outreach.
The draft fisheries management plan will be submitted to the Keralam government for final policy endorsement, while a multi-agency scientific data-sharing agreement and coastal capacity-building programmes are scheduled to be launched next month, SEAI added.
