BHUBANESWAR: Experts and policymakers here on Saturday expressed concerns over ‘adverse’ impact of climate change over future fish production and aquaculture in the country. Presenting a comparative rise of sea surface temperature of Indian Ocean at convention of Fisheries Ministers here, S. Ayappan, Deputy Director General (Fisheries) under Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), said under climate change scenario surface temperature of ocean surrounding India had undergone major change.
As per the comparative picture on sea temperature from 1961 to 2005, surface temperature of sea in 2005 had risen above 29 degree Celsius in south Arabian Sea region, which according to experts, was a bad sign. According to Mr. Ayappan, fish species, earlier found in Kerala, had migrated northwards to cope with the climate change and was found along the West Bengal coast. Moreover, fish breeding season had advanced to February from July. Concurring with the experts, Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar said, “climate change has been found to have a significant impact on all spheres of life including agriculture, livestock, fisheries, forestry and general health of people.
“The possible impact of climate change on fisheries needs to be studied thoroughly and the measures to overcome them should be brought out in a comprehensive manner to take appropriate remedial action,” Mr. Pawar said.
Experts opined that climate change might cause erosion of economic returns to the fishermen and they might have to adapt by changing their craft and gear combinations depending on available species.
