NITI Aayog Unveils Strategy for Blue Economy

NITI Aayog Unveils Strategy for Blue Economy

Why in News ?

NITI Aayog CEO B. V. R. Subrahmanyam launched a report on India’s Blue Economy, outlining strategies to harness deep-sea and offshore fisheries. The initiative focuses on sustainable exploitation, coastal prosperity, and global leadership in marine resource governance, addressing challenges posed by climate change and environmental change, including impacts on Arctic seals and their ice habitats.

Three-Phase Roadmap for Fisheries Development

• Phase 1 – Foundation: Establish regulatory frameworks, monitoring systems, and governance structures for effective management of marine ecosystems, considering the conservation status of various marine species from least concern to critically endangered.
• Phase 2 – Scaling Up: Expand operations by leveraging technology, research, and capacity building in offshore and deep-sea fishing, considering the conservation status of various marine species and their foraging areas.
• Phase 3 – Global Leadership: Position India as a leader in sustainable fisheries, promoting innovative practices and responsible marine resource utilization, with a focus on marine mammal protection and maintaining healthy populations of species like the spotted seal and ribbon seal.
• Innovation Focus: Incorporates science-driven policy, stakeholder participation, and technology integration to ensure long-term sustainability and species survival in marine environments, from tropical waters to Arctic seas.
• Environmental Consideration: Emphasizes eco-friendly fishing practices and adherence to international marine conservation standards to maintain ecosystem health and protect ice-associated seals and other Arctic fauna.

Governance and Blue Economy:

• Policy Framework: The report provides a comprehensive governance model for deep-sea and offshore fisheries management, addressing concerns of marine biodiversity and the impact of sea ice cover changes on Arctic seals.
• Economic Potential: Sustainable exploitation can enhance India’s seafood exports and boost coastal economies while safeguarding marine mammals and other threatened species, including those affected by Arctic climate change.
• Innovation and Research: Focus on marine research, fisheries technology, and stakeholder engagement for informed policymaking, similar to wildlife management strategies employed by organizations like the Norwegian Polar Institute.
• Community Prosperity: Prioritizes skill development, employment, and equitable resource distribution in coastal regions, considering the impact on local marine ecosystems and drawing lessons from the challenges faced by Arctic communities due to sea ice extent reduction.
• Strategic Importance: Blue Economy contributes to food security, climate resilience, and India’s maritime strategic interests, while addressing challenges posed by environmental change, including the effects on Arctic marine mammals and pinniped species.

• Significance: India has a 12-nautical mile sovereign water zone and a 200-mile exclusive economic zone, which remain largely underexplored, offering potential for marine biodiversity research and insights that could be applied to understanding Arctic seal populations and other marine mammal health issues.
• Objective: To develop a sustainable, well-governed, and profitable deep-sea fisheries sector, enhancing the country’s Blue Economy potential while addressing conservation efforts for marine mammals and learning from global experiences in managing ice-dependent seals and their habitats.
• Stakeholder Impact: The strategy aims to benefit coastal communities through improved livelihoods and equitable resource sharing, considering the broader marine ecosystem and drawing parallels to the challenges faced by Arctic communities due to climate change impacts on sea ice and wildlife.
• Global Context: Aligns with India’s ambition to achieve global leadership in sustainable offshore and deep-sea fisheries management, addressing challenges of climate change and species survival in marine environments, from tropical waters to the Arctic Ocean, and contributing to the global understanding of marine ecosystems and their conservation.