Transitional Contexts and Transformational Pathways Through the Utilisation of Marine Fishery Advisories in Odisha, India: Challenges and Way Forward

Marine fisheries provide direct livelihood support to approximately 16 million people and almost double the number along the value chain. The turnover of Small-Scale Fishery (SSF) communities in the maritime states of India was previously limited by the use of unscientific and unreliable indicators of fish abundance and the increased frequency of extreme weather events. To overcome these challenges, the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) in the Government of India (GoI) is providing Marine Fishery Advisories (MFAs) based on geospatial data in the form of Potential Fishing Zone (PFZ) and Ocean State Forecast (OSF) advisories that can make a significant impact in the Catch Per Unit Effort (CPUE) and net profit for pelagic fisheries. However, the utilisation of these advisories for the sustainable development of the SSF communities is also hampered by complex inter-linked socio-economic factors. The present investigation provided an assessment of the socio-economic factors influencing the degree of utilisation of the PFZ and OSF by the fishing communities in the maritime state of Odisha. Whilst the outcome of the present study indicated that the access of the advisories was influenced by community backwardness, literacy and ownership of the various categories of crafts, ground level investigation showed that the usages of the PFZ advisories are hampered by several factors such as irregularity in reception and long distant from their traditional fishing ground. The transformative pathways through the utilisation of the MFAs are hence crucial for the sustainable fishing practices towards achieving the economic stability of the SSF communities. This study further recommended that implementation gaps identified must be addressed so that geospatial technology products can be more effectively used to enhance the sustainable development of the SSF communities in India.