National Marine Fisheries Census, 2025:
The Union Minister of State, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, launched the Marine Fisheries Census (MFC) 2025.
- It is the fifth edition of the Marine Fisheries Census.
- It is a coast-wide activity fully funded by the Department of Fisheries, Government of India.
- Nodal Agency: ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) as the nodal agency and Fishery Survey of India (FSI) as the operational partner.
- 13 coastal States and Union Territories, including the Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep,
- The core household data collection is scheduled for an extended period of 45 days.
- It is powered by a suite of custom-made, multilingual Android applications—VyAS–NAV(for validation of fishing villages and harbours), VyAS–BHARAT (household and infrastructure enumeration) and VyAS–SUTRA (for real-time supervision and monitoring of households and enumerators) developed by the the ICAR–Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI).
- For the first time, census includes crucial indicators like total family income, homeownership, outstanding liabilities, and sources of credit.
- It covers data on insurance status, major losses or disabilities, the specific socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on fisher families, and the receipt of benefits from schemes like PMMSY/PM-MKSSY.
- New schedules focusing on Fish Farmer Producer Organizations (FFPOs) and Self-Help Groups (SHGs) are introduced to facilitate collectivization and strengthen the value chain.
