FLASH NEWS
On 31 July 2025, the Small Pelagic Purse Seine Fisheries – Karnataka State Fishery Improvement Project (FIP) undertook an important outreach activity by formally issuing printed Endangered, Threatened, and Protected (ETP) Species Identification Posters to the Department of Fisheries harbour offices across the Karnataka coast. Posters were handed over to officials at Mangalore, Malpe, Bhatkal, Honnavara, and Karwar fishing harbours, marking a significant step in strengthening awareness and compliance regarding the protection of vulnerable marine species. This initiative formed an integral part of the larger ETP conservation program conducted in partnership with ICAR–CMFRI, the Karnataka Forest Department, and fisheries associations, aimed at improving on-ground understanding of protected marine fauna under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
The posters, developed by ICAR–CMFRI in collaboration with the Karnataka State FIP, feature high-quality images of sharks, rays, wedgefish, dolphins, whales, and sea turtles listed under Schedules I and II of the Wildlife Protection Act. Their purpose is to help fishers distinguish protected species from commercially targeted fish during routine fishing operations. By supplying these posters to harbour offices—key locations where hundreds of fishers assemble daily for activities such as fish landings, trip preparations, and regulatory inspections—the FIP ensured that information would reach a broad audience across multiple coastal districts. This visual communication tool supports the SOPs for safe handling and release of ETP species and promotes correct documentation through ETP Release Log Sheets and voluntary compliance initiatives already adopted by many fishers.
The submission of ETP posters to the harbour offices also reinforces the collaboration between enforcement bodies and fishing communities, ensuring that conservation messages are not limited to training halls but visible in operational settings. Harbour officials welcomed the materials and agreed to display them prominently in offices, notice boards, meeting halls, and boat registration counters—locations where they would serve as constant reminders of legal obligations and ecological responsibilities. This initiative strengthens the continuity of the awareness program conducted across Kumta, Bhatkal, Byndur, Udupi, and Mangalore, helping embed long-term behavioral change. By enhancing visibility and accessibility of ETP identification tools, the Karnataka State FIP has taken a meaningful step toward ensuring consistent, community-driven protection of endangered marine species throughout the state’s fishing sector.