Fisheries Minister J. Mercykutty Amma on Sunday sought a balance between the exploitation of marine resources and the need to adequately safeguard the resources with regulatory frameworks, calling it vital to long-term sustainability. The Minister was addressing a special session on Kerala and the Blue Economy’ at the biennial conference on Blue Economy’ organised by the South Asia International Economic Law Network (SAIELN). Present laws on blue economy presented numerous challenges in terms of implementation, particularly for south Asia, Ms. Mercykutty Amma said. Growing human population and per capita demand for food and other goods and services necessitate an expansion of fisheries and aquaculture activities in the ocean, inland water bodies and along the coast, increasing the pressure on the environment. As awareness of this pressure rises, it becomes increasingly evident that sustainability could be achieved only through regulatory frameworks and cooperation among stakeholders, the Minister said. Better efforts needed Inherent in the concept of blue economy’ is the optimum exploration and exploitation of marine resources within and beyond national jurisdiction. It also involves an inherent obligation to preserve, conserve and protect the marine environment for future generations, she said. In this context, there was a need to invigorate efforts towards sustainable development in blue economy through a legal framework aimed at the preservation, protection and conservation of marine resources, she said. Fishery practices Calling for judicious fishery practices, the Minister said efforts should also focus on actions to deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Fisheries director S. Venkatesapathy; Gayatri Nair, economic advisor, Planning Board; Prof. Mukesh Bhatnagar, Centre for WTO Studies, New Delhi, and Prof. James J. Nedumpara, Co-Chair, SAIELN, also spoke.
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