The fisheries sector in Kerala could experience a strong impact due to climatic change. This gloomy scenery could be a consequence of diseases and migration of species could lead to the depletion of fish stocks while the damage or loss to coastal infrastructure could enhance the vulnerability of the fishing community.
This was stated in the report of the State Action Plan on Climate Change prepared by the Department of Environment and Climate Change.
The conclusions of this report have been drawn from an assessment of the possible changes in water temperature and variables such as sea level rise, wind velocity and wave action could trigger ecological and biological changes in marine and freshwater ecosystems, impacting on the distribution and abundance of fishes, The Hindu reported.
The authors of the report argue that it is probable that the marine and inland fisheries sectors take a major hit as climate change affects fish stocks, resulting in decreased yield and loss of livelihood of fishermen.
In the report, inland fisheries have been assessed and it has determined that the risks are posed by the depletion of inland water bodies, increased incidence of water-borne diseases among fish specimens and heavy deposit of silt during floods.
The report stresses that the increase of 0.6 degrees centigrade in sea surface temperature over the past 50 years could affect the growth and life span of several species, especially of the pelagic group.
It has been noted that sardines and mackerels, which were abundantly available off the Kerala coast, had moved away to deeper waters in recent years.
Other findings were that several important marine fish species as well as high-value shrimp have become rare while some traditional species in the Vembanad Lake have disappeared.
However, other species considered threats by fishermen such as puffer fish have become abundant.
The document estimates that the potential decline in mangrove forest habitat due to sea level rise, changes in sediments, pollutants from the rivers and lakes, sand-mining, deforestation, and massive reclamation of coastal wetlands could impact the coastal biodiversity. The clandestine introduction of exotic fish into inland water bodies is another factor that is affecting the biodiversity of fish.
The report mentions the lack of facilities for monitoring marine and estuarine pollution as a severe shortcoming, since the non-biodegradable pollutants have the potential to alter the aquatic ecosystem to a considerable extent.
It outlines a mitigation strategy could be setting up fish sanctuaries for conservation of marine biodiversity, protected sanctuaries for aquaculture development in wetland zones and coastal afforestation to offset the impact of paddy field and wetland reclamation. It also recommends a campaign to create awareness about climate change impact among stakeholders.
According to the report, organic aquaculture and sustainable inland fisheries should be boosted through the integration of fisheries, aquaculture and agriculture. It also stresses the need to strengthen information networking in the inland fisheries sector and create a system for prediction of production levels based on environment factors.