The Union Department of Fisheries is leading the consultation process, with the Bay of Bengal Programme Inter-Governmental Organisation (BOBP-IGO) facilitating and coordinating the exercise.
In a letter, the Department of Fisheries asked the fisheries departments of the coastal states and UTs to designate a nodal officer or team, organise stakeholder consultations this month and share the feedback to the National Task Force which is drafting the NPOA-SSF. Over 20 one-day consultations are scheduled across the eastern and western coasts and the island territories.
Terming the exercise central to the framework, Union Fisheries Secretary Abhilaksh Likhi said, “These consultations are not a formality to be completed before the plan is drafted. They are where the plan is written.”
“This is intended to ensure that the proposed NPOA reflects the concerns and priorities of fishing communities at the grassroots level,” he added.
Parallel to the state-level exercise, a community-led consultation process is also under way as part of framing the NPOA. As many as 14 fisher community and civil society organisations have joined the process by signing a Letter of Cooperation, which include National Federation of Small-Scale Fish Workers (NFSF), National Fishworkers’ Forum (NFF), South Indian Federation of Fishermen Societies (SIFFS), District Fishermen’s Youth Welfare Association (DFYWA) and Mahavir Machchhimar Sahakari Mandali (MMSM).
The proposed framework must be grounded in the realities of fishing communities, said Surabhi Rai, Joint Secretary, Union Department of Fisheries. The consultations would help record the voices of fishers and fish workers so that they are reflected in the policy, she said.“In India the livelihood of about 30 million fisherfolks are linked to fisheries and allied activities, who significantly contribute to the food and nutritional security of the country”, Dr Surabhi Rai said.
The NPOA-SSF is being developed in line with the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and India’s National Policy on Marine Fisheries, 2017.
“The plan will address a broad range of issues affecting small-scale fishing communities, including access to fisheries resources, sustainable fisheries management, decent work, gender equality, climate change and disaster risk,” said Dr P Krishnan, Director, BOBP-IGO.
The consultations will be conducted in local languages and will involve a broad cross-section of fishing communities, including crew and share workers, migrant fish workers, fish vendors, dry-fish processors and young people. Women and young participants will also take part in separate group discussions led by women and youth facilitators.
“The consultation-driven approach is expected to ensure that the proposed NPOA-SSF becomes an operational framework built around field-level realities,” Dr Krishnan added. Similar initiatives are also being coordinated in Bangladesh, Maldives and Sri Lanka by the BOBP-IGO, in collaboration with the respective national Governments.
The draft NPOA-SSF is targeted for release on World Fisheries Day, November 21, followed by public review, finalisation and notification in 2027.