On the occasion of World Fisheries Day, the Department of Fisheries, Government of India, organized the two-day Global Fisheries Conference India 2023 at Gujarat Science City in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying Parshottam Rupala inaugurated the event.
In his address, Rupala welcomed the guests and lauded the efforts of the organizers for bringing together a diverse group of national and global experts and stakeholders to discuss important issues in the fisheries sector. He encouraged the series of state fish declarations by major states such as Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat, saying that it has made fish rearing an interesting subject for the general public. He further expressed hope that new products and innovations for sustainable development will continue to emerge.
The event also saw the launch of the Inland Reservoir Lease Portal of the Government of Gujarat by Chief Minister of Gujarat Bhupendra Patel. The portal will now be used for online reservoir leasing through e-tender/e-auction to ensure transparency in the lease allocation procedure. Chief Minister Patel also digitally launched Black spotted Crocker (commonly known as Ghol) as the State Fish of Gujarat.
In his keynote address, Patel highlighted Gujarat’s position as a leading fish production and exporting state in India. He emphasized the importance of prioritizing the Blue economy as a key focus area.
Other dignitaries who spoke at the event included Minister of States for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying Dr. Sanjeev K. Balyan and Dr. L Murugan, Head of Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) in India Mr. Takayuki Hagiwara, Governor of Gujarat Acharya Devvrat, Minister for Agri, AH, Cow-Breeding, Fisheries, RH & RD, Govt. of Gujarat, Raghavjibhai Patel, and Secretary, Department of Fisheries, Dr. Abhilaksh Likhi
The event also featured an exhibition showcasing aquariums, artificial reefs, seaweed cultivation, capture fisheries, marine cage culture, biofloc, RAS, fish feed, LPG converter kits, pearl extraction and nucleus implantation, model of Setcom satellite terminals communication system, eco-friendly movable kiosks, mutli-species hatchery, and more.
In line with the past years, on occasion of the World Fisheries Day, awards were distributed by the dignitaries. Andhra Pradesh was awarded as the Best Marine State, Uttar Pradesh awarded as the Best Inland State award, Assam as the Best Himalayan region and North Easter State award. Ramanathapuram (Tamil Nadu) was awarded as the Best Marine District, Seoni (Madhya Pradesh), Kamrup (Assam) won the Best Inland District and the Best Himalayan and North Eastern District respectively and Anantnag (Jammu and Kashmir) won the Best District in the Union Territories category. Awards for Best Fish Farmers, Best Fisheries Cooperatives and the Best Fisheries Enterprises were also distributed during the function.
