Kochi: India’s marine fish landings recorded a total of 3.47 million tonnes in 2024 with a slight decline of 2% compared to the catch in 2023, according to ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI). Gujarat retained its top position in overall fish landings with 7.54 lakh tonnes followed by Tamil Nadu (6.79 lakh tonnes) and Kerala (6.10 lakh tonnes). 

CMFRI’s annual marine fish landing estimates  showed that Indian mackerel remained the most landed resource in the country at 2.63 lakh tonnes, followed by oil sardine at 2.41 lakh tonnes. 

All over India, species such as Indian mackerel, threadfin breams, oil sardine, ribbonfishes, non-penaeid shrimps and cephalopods recorded a decline in 2024 compared to the previous year, while landings of lesser sardines, penaeid shrimps, anchovies and tunnies increased. While the west coast region suffered an overall decrease in landings, the east coast showed an increasing trend, with exceptions in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. 

Maharashtra registered the highest growth of 47% compared to the previous year. West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Odisha also saw notable increases of 35%, 20% and 18% respectively. However, states like Karnataka, Goa, and Daman & Diu experienced significant declines in landings.

 

Fishing Efforts

In total, about 2.5 lakh fishing trips were monitored, offering an in-depth view into nationwide effort and productivity. Mechanized crafts reported an average catch of 2,959 kg per trip, motorized crafts managed 174 kg per trip and non-motorized vessels recorded a modest 41 kg per trip

CMFRI report pointed out that cyclonic storms such as Dana, Fengal, Remal, and Asna significantly impacted fishing activities contributing to the overall decline. Increased heatwave days in Andhra Pradesh and Kerala further disrupted fishing operations. 

 

Kerala’s landings down by 4%; Indian Oil sardine catch increases 

Kerala recorded a marginal decrease of 4% in the marine fish catch in 2024 compared to the previous year, totalling a landing of 6.10 lakh tonnes. Indian oil sardine topped the list of most caught species in the state with 1.49 lakh tonnes, registering a slight increase of 7.6%. Indian mackerel (61,490 t), penaeid shrimp (44,630 t), anchovies (44,440 t) and threadfin breams (33,890 t) were the other major contributors to Kerala’s total marine catch. Indian mackerel saw a decline of 16% in landings.  The year witnessed very low landing and higher landing of oil sardine in different quarters. 

The year saw an unusual fluctuation in oil sardine landings in the state. A severe scarcity in the first quarter led to prices escalating to Rs. 350-400 per kg. However, from September onwards, as landings surged exceeding one lakh tonne in the last quarter, prices dropped sharply to Rs. 20-30 per kg.

Compared to 2023, southern districts of the state (Thiruvananthapuram to Ernakulam) saw a decline while northern districts (Malappuram to Kasaragod) registered an increase in landings. 

The Fishery Resources Assessment, Economics and Extension Division of the CMFRI estimated the annual marine fish landings of the country through its online data collection system.

 

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