Marine Fisheries Census 2025: Digitising India’s Blue Economy Data
Syllabus: Environment & Geography (UPSC Prelims)
Source: DD News
Context
The Government of India has launched the Marine Fisheries Census (MFC) 2025, the country’s first fully digital and geo-referenced fisheries census, powered by VYAS mobile applications developed by ICAR–Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI).
About the Marine Fisheries Census 2025
- Objective: To build a real-time, evidence-based database on marine fisher households, fishing infrastructure, and socio-economic indicators.
- Purpose: Strengthen sustainable fisheries management, policy planning, and targeted welfare delivery.
- Implementing Agencies:
- Funded by the Department of Fisheries, Government of India.
- Executed by ICAR–CMFRI with support from the Fishery Survey of India (FSI).
Key Features
- Fully Digital Process: India’s first paperless, geo-tagged marine census replacing traditional manual surveys.
- Comprehensive Coverage: To include 1.2 million fisher households across 5,000 fishing villages in 13 coastal States and UTs.
- Socio-Economic Mapping: Records income, debt, insurance, and welfare coverage under schemes like PMMSY and PM-MKSSY.
- Drone-Based Enumeration: Uses drones to count fishing vessels and infrastructure for improved accuracy and transparency.
About the VYAS App Ecosystem
- Full Form: Vessel and Yield Assessment System (VYAS).
- Purpose: A suite of digital tools for data collection, validation, and real-time monitoring during the census.
- Developed by: ICAR–CMFRI under its digital modernisation initiative.
Key Components:
- VYAS–NAV: Validates fishing villages and harbours.
- VYAS–BHARAT: Captures household and infrastructure data.
- VYAS–SUTRA: Enables real-time supervision and dashboard monitoring.
Technological Highlights:
- Geo-referenced entries for spatial mapping.
- Multilingual interface for inclusive participation.
- Cloud-based dashboards for transparency and data validation.
Significance
The Marine Fisheries Census 2025 will provide the first-ever integrated digital database of India’s marine fishing sector, enabling data-driven decision-making, improving welfare delivery, and supporting the vision of a sustainable blue economy.
