Official launch will be held at CMFRI by Union Minister George Kurian

A massive nationwide initiative to document the status of India’s marine fishing community will be officially launched on Friday (October 31), marking the beginning of household enumeration under the 5th Marine Fisheries Census (MFC)-2025.

Union Minister of State for Fisheries George Kurian will launch the initiative and a national workshop at a function to be held at ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) at 10 am on Friday.

The MFC 2025 will cover more than 1.2 million fisher households across India’s coastal states and Union Territories, providing crucial data for sustainable fisheries management and policy planning. The Census is coordinated by the Department of Fisheries (DoF) of the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) with CMFRI as the nodal agency and Fishery Survey of India (FSI) as the operational partner.

Enumerators selected from the local fishing community will reach every marine fisherman household for a 45-day data collection exercise.

First Fully Digital Marine Census

Conducted once every five years by the CMFRI, the Marine Fisheries Census collects detailed information on marine fishers, their households, fishing crafts, and gears. Unlike previous editions, the MFC 2025 is the first-ever fully digital and geo-referenced marine fisheries census.

Customised mobile and tablet-based applications developed by CMFRI will be used for this edition for data collection in a bid to reduce manual errors and accelerate data compilation for policy-level use. The event will also feature the release of two major digital tools — VYAS–BHARAT and VYAS–SUTRA Apps — developed by CMFRI to streamline data collection and analysis during the census.

The initiative is expected to provide invaluable insights for improving the livelihoods of coastal fishing communities and strengthening the nation’s marine fisheries governance.

Following the launch, the Minister will inaugurate the National Marine Fisheries Data Centre (NMFDC) at CMFRI. The centre will serve as a central repository for comprehensive fisheries data across India.