The 5th National Census of Marine Fishing (MFC2025) will cover 1.2 million fishermen housing in coastal states and UTS. | Photo credit: Deepak Kr
The 5th National Census of Marine Fishing (MFC2025) will cover 1.2 million fishermen housing in coastal states and UTS. The census that is scheduled in November and December documents the socioeconomic conditions of the families of marine fishermen and the fishing infrastructure of maps of the country’s coast. The selected enumerators of the local fishing community will reach all homes of marine fishermen for a massive exercise of 45 days.
The MFC 2025 is financed and coordinated by the Department of Fishing of the Ministry of Fisheries, Livestock and Dairy under Pradhan Mantsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY). The Marine Fishing Research Institute of the ICAR Central Center is the Nodal Agency for the implementation of the census in Continental India, nine coastal states, and the Indian Fishing Survey (FSI) is entrusted with the collection of data from the territories of the Union, including the island.
The census will gather demographic and livelihood data of the fishing communities and the details of the infrastructure, including fishing ships, gears, ports, fish landing centers, processing units and cold storage facilities.
Paradigm change
A high -level meeting chaired by Neetu Kumari Prasad, Joint Secretary of the Fisheries Department, Goi reviewed the progress, previous requirements and the anticipated timeline of the census.
The meeting emphasized the importance of cooperation and collaboration between state governments and implementation agencies to guarantee the success of the next sea fishing census. The fishing departments in several states offered their full support to the exercise for a variety of areas, including the completion of village lists and sharing labor and resources.
Neetu Kumari Prasad said MFC 2025 would see a paradigm shift through the adoption of modern digital tools, including applications based on mobile devices, geo-labeling and validation of data in real time, and added that the census is crucial to improve the evidence-based fishing governance, the planning of life and sustainable management of marine resources in India.
The census will provide vital information to shape the policies on the management of marine fishing, well -being and infrastructure development schemes, directly impacting millions that depend on marine livelihoods, said Grinson George, director of CMFR 2025.
Posted on April 15, 2025
