Encouraged by government subsidies and reports of good fishing, owners of trawlers in India’s Goa state are converting their boats into deep-sea tuna vessels.
Five trawlers from Goa have been approved for conversion and an additional 15 trawlers are on a list for conversion into tuna-fishing vessels, under a scheme whereby up to 70 percent of the cost for conversion will be paid for by the government, according to the Times of India.
The subsidy is intended to keep Indian fishermen employed while redirecting them to fish for more available yellowfin tuna offshore, rather than continue to trawl in areas that are overfished and depleted of marine resources, according to the newspaper.
India’s central government will provide 50 percent of the cost of the conversion, estimated around INR 8 million (USD 122,000, EUR 99,165), which is out of the reach of normal fisherman. State government will offer a 20 percent subsidy, the beneficiaries would have to contribute 10 percent of the cost, while the balance 20 percent will be raised through institutional finance.
"I think this new opening is a boon for Goan fishermen facing a bleak future," Chandrahas Ameen, the owner of Ameen Fisheries, told the Times. Ameen converted two trawlers and is looking to employ another trawler in tuna fishing, the newspaper reported.
According to the 2016 stock status report from India’s Fisheries and Resources Monitoring System (FIRMS), 407,573 metric tons of yellowfin tuna was caught in 2015 in India, as compared to 408,511 MT in 2015. Currently, the fish is priced at INR 250 (USD 3.83, EUR 3.11) per kilogram full and INR 575 (USD 8.82, EUR 7.15) per kilogram cleaned in India, according to Chennai based seafood e-commerce site.
Both the central and Goan governments believe there to be ample tuna resources on the edge of India’s exclusive economic zone and beyond. The state’s chief minister, Manohar Parikar, called for a greater effort to fish for yellowfin tuna during his address at the 21st India International Seafood Show in January 2018.
“Yellowfin tuna is in good demand in the export market and India is one of the biggest export of seafood in the global market,” Parikar said. “Tuna fishing will bring additional revenue to the state, as well as to the central government.”
Fisheries Survey of India (FSI) Goa Zone Director M E John said there is opportunity for India to take over more high-value tuna production.
"We have the largest exclusive economic zone in the region. But high-value tuna production from India is less than 20,000 MT, whereas the total Indian ocean production of tuna is around 800,000 MT,” he said. “All these years, deep-sea vessels from non-Indian Ocean countries like France, Spain, Taiwan, Japan and Korea have been eating the largest share of the pie.”
Kerala-based Moon Fisheries Pvt Ltd (MFPL), has offered to buy the tuna caught by the new tuna-fishing vessels, according to the Times.
"Tuna has a big market overseas and we are aiming for it. We have assured to buy tuna from trawler owners in Goa and transport it to Kerala via insulated trucks,” MFPL Chief Project Officer P K George, chief project officer said. “Compared to other marine produce, tuna requires special handling techniques. For that we will provide free training."
If the catch becomes significant enough to warrant it, MFPL may consider opening processing unit in Goa, George said.
"If we get a steady flow of tuna, we will plan a processing unit in the state," he said.
