Mumbai, Apr 28 (PTI) In a major preparatory step for the 5th Marine Fisheries Census (MFC 2025), a mobile application VyAS-NAV was launched in Mumbai for digital data collection with an aim to boost transparency and efficiency.
The nationwide census will use VyAS-NAV, a mobile application developed by ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), to enable real-time, geo-referenced digital data collection, replacing traditional manual methods.
Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying and Panchayati Raj Rajiv Ranjan Singh inaugurated the “Coastal States Fisheries Meet: 2025” and laid the foundation stones for fisheries projects of Rs 255 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) across seven coastal states and UTs.
At the event, key initiatives such as the launch of the 5th Marine Fisheries Census operations, release of guidelines on Turtle Excluder Devices under PMMSY, and the Standard Operating Procedure for the vessel communication and support system were also announced.
On the occasion, the Union minister distributed tablets equipped with the newly developed VyAS-NAV digital application and awarded the first-ever aqua insurance incentives under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Kisan Samridhi Sah-Yojana (PM-MKSSY) to selected beneficiaries.
The 5th Marine Fisheries Census (MFC 2025), covering around 1.2 million fisher households across nine coastal states, was flagged off at the meet.
The census operation, coordinated by the Department of Fisheries under PMMSY, will involve the training of supervisors, recruitment of village-level enumerators, and household surveys, with the core enumeration scheduled between November and December 2025, a release stated.
The MFC aims for exhaustive documentation of marine fisher families, fishing villages, crafts, gear, and associated infrastructure.
Field operations began on Monday with the validation of marine fishing villages, and will be followed by workshops, training sessions, and comprehensive data collection.
A joint meeting of nine coastal states and four Union Territories was held to discuss opportunities, challenges, and issues related to marine fisheries in the country.
Union Fisheries Secretary Abhijit Likhi stated that India currently ranks second globally in fish production.
“Fisheries play a major role in the country’s economy and lead in exports. The goal is to bring India to the first position globally in fish production, and the meeting was termed crucial toward achieving that goal,” Likhi added. PTI KK NSK
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