Fisheries sector needs improvement

With fish landings remaining flat for several years in a row, experts in the fisheries sector say the focus should now be on quality and value addition so that the men who toil in the seas off the Tamil Nadu coast will get a better income. “Over the past five years, fish production has not increased much, hovering around 6.9 lakh tonnes per year, and marine fishermen are spending more on getting bigger boats, nets and equipment. They are forced to get engines with a higher horsepower that can drag the nets at the bottom of the sea,” said an expert, who did not want to be named.