Economic analysis and operational efficiency of mechanized fishing in Gujarat

The economic analysis and operational efficiency of the marine fishers and their attitude towards development schemes serve as significant information which is vital for implementing new technologies and policies. With this view in focus, the present study was taken up to analyse the economic aspects of marine fishing including terminal division and supportive facilities in Gujarat during the period 2015-16. A total of 120 fishers and 40 input suppliers were selected for the study from four major harbours/landing centers of the four districts in the state which made the total sample size of 160. Craft and gear were a major added cost in fishing and estimated total cost and profit of boat builder for one wooden boat was ₹ 13.9 lakh and ₹ 4.75 lakh whereas for fiber boat it was ₹ 1.23 lakh and ₹ 40,767.4 respectively. The economics for the sample gear manufacturer displayed total cost and profit of ₹ 300059 per day/cycle and ₹ 3306.89 per day/cycle. The study depicted that the majority of fishers were living in a joint family with a family size of >9 followed by the family size of 4-6 persons. The majority of fishers had the education up to higher secondary level while the average age of fishers was 37.76 years which also indicated that the fishing business has adhered even younger population. The total cost of fishing was estimated about ₹ 2.25 lakh per trip while the average revenue generated by fisher was depicted ₹ 2.78 lakh/trip with net revenue of ₹ 53,223 per trip denotes the viability of the business. Due to high dependency on seasonal weather, natural resources and stock, over exploitation and numerous other problems, income from fishing remain flexible subject. Out of 120 fishers, only 63.33 percent and 54.17 percent of fishers were technically and economically efficient. Since majority of the fishers irrespective of fishing operations are operating at low-efficiency levels in Gujarat, there is an urgent need of fleet-size reduction, promotion of target fishing, technology transfer, better training, banking facility and subsidies to improve and support their operational skills to attain full efficiency level for enhancing their profitability in fishing.