What is the Blue Revolution? What are the significant hurdles in aquaculture development, and what comprehensive strategies can be implemented to address them?

Significant hurdles

1. Economies of scale: is lacking as most fishing is done by small farmers.
2. Credit: affordable credit for investments in fishing/aquaculture are not adequate.
3. Global competition: Countries like Japan, China, USA rely on commercial aquaculture and provide stiff competition to Indian industries.
4. Technology: Indian fishermen rely on dated and environmentaly unsustainable fishing techniques like bottom trawling.
5. Market Access: fishermen lack knowledge of branding to gain access to lager markets in India and abroad.

⑥ regulations: Strict Sanitary & Phytosanitary standards (SPS) enforcement often leads to disqualification of Indian catch as safe for consumption. ⑦ Climate change: leading to issues of ocean acidification, sea stratification, marine heatwaves, coral bleaching, and sea level rise threaten viability of aquaculture.

Comprehensive Strategies ① rules based order: globally to prevent exploitative commercial fishing → agreement on fisheries (WTO) ② policy support for development of aquaculture → PM Matsya Sampada Yojana. ③ ensure access to affordable credit → Kisan credit card for fishermen. → Priority sector lending for aquaculture ④ encourage contract farming with private player to raise productivity and economies of scale.

⑤ levy technology to raise efficiency ④ import of tilapia fish production technique from Israel. ⑥ invest in building supporting forward & backward linkages like cold storages, markets etc ④ Aquaculture & fisheries infrastructure development fund. ⑦ capacity building of fishermen.