- Summary
- Objectives
- Status
- Project Publications
All parts of the seafood supply chain need to align to support sustainable fishing to achieve marine sustainability. This project aims to identify key gaps and interventions needed to ensure that fisheries can begin to reduce their impact on the marine environment with a focus on the conservation of elasmobranchs and teleost fishes, many of which are threatened.
In the first part of the project, we focussed on the domestic supply chains with a specific focus on domestic seafood consumption and unsustainable fishing and on helping Indian seafood eaters diversify their seafood consumption and avoid eating threatened marine species.
A critical need for a practical tool to aid the general public in identifying the various species of fish caught in India’s marine fisheries was seen. Recognizing the potential of machine learning models in fulfilling this need, in the second part of the project, we planned to use our data of fish catches to develop such a tool.
1. Assess small-scale fishing practices, levels of sustainability, and regulations along the Coromandel Coast.
2. Create incentives for sustainable fishing practices by connecting fishermen using more sustainable fishing practices to higher value, transparent supply chains.
3. Understand seafood demand and seafood consumption practices in India.
4. Tracing seafood supply chains on the east and west coasts of India.
5. Assess fish catches for species diversity along the Coromandel Coast.
6. Document relative differences in species diversity and create a rubric to help consumers identify what they are eating.
7. Create a technology‐based tool to help seafood eaters choose diverse seafood and the most sustainable choices among the options available to them.
- Sustainability in small-scale fishing practices were assesed in Chennai, Puducherry and Andhra Pradesh. To encourage sustainable fishing and a more transparent and high-value supply chains restaurants in Chennai and Mumbai were enlisted to source directly from small-scale fishers. This however came to a stop due to the COVID-19 pandemic, during which time we provided rations and relief to affected fishing communities. The small monthly payments (INR 5,000 from the government and rations from our work), combined with the absence of large-scale seafood traders, incentivised fishing communities not to fish beyond subsistence levels.
- Our work on seafood demand and consumption from India’s metros showed that the seafood diversity preferred by urban seafood eaters averages at around six species, while nearly 100 species are available in our waters. Trying to source these six species at the cost of all others creates overfishing in India.
- Regular in‐person and online programmes for the general public to teach seafood eaters about different fishing nets and boats, the methods used by fishermen to catch seafood, ways to identify fresh and more sustainable seafood, and how to identify different species were conducted. Printed outreach materials were created through and distributed. We facilitated value‐added events for fishing communities, such as creating opportunities for consumers to learn seafood recipes, as well as to see the making and repair of fishing gear.
- A robust dataset for image-based identification and classification was created which included 901 images of sharks, 809 images of rays, 112 images of rhino rays, and 89 images of teleost fish. Image data as and well collected will be added to this database to facilitate the inclusion of more species. To facilitate efficient image identification, we established 10 groups to classify the images to the family-level. Automation of the identification process is ongoing.