AMID mounting pressure on land resources and rising population needs, the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) under the Ministry of Earth Sciences is boosting ocean-based livelihoods in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands through advanced marine technologies. Scientist and Officer-in-Charge of NIOT’s Atal Centre for Ocean Science and Technology for Islands (ACOSTI), Dilip Kumar Jha, told The Hitavada that programmes like Open Sea Cage Culture, Artificial Reef deployment, seaweed cultivation, and the Deep Ocean Mission are unlocking sustainable development. These efforts boost traditional fishermen’s incomes, fortify marine ecology, and advance scientific research in the islands. The Open Sea Cage Culture initiative, backed by NIOT, targets coastal and island communities with sustainable alternatives to land-based fisheries, which suffer from scarce land and freshwater. The open ocean provides vast space, natural water circulation that skips frequent exchanges, and controlled feeding for healthy fish growth, Jha explained. NIOT’s advanced mooring technology withstands cyclones a fact proven in past storms when cages and stocked fish stayed intact.

 

In the Andaman and Nicobar, the programme partners with the local Fisheries Department, training fishermen to manage it independently. Artificial reefs tackle declining near-shore fish stocks, vital for small-boat fishermen unable to reach deeper waters. At fishermen’s and Fisheries Departments’ requests, NIOT conducts rigorous studies on currents, tides, waves, and seabed before deployment. Reefs go only in sandy “marine deserts,” never live coral areas, with designs tailored to species like lobsters or finfish triangular, square, or dome shapes that become “submerged forests.” Fish aggregation surges within a year. NIOT prioritises community input, blending fishermen’s insights such as catches dropping from 100 kg to 10 kg with science. Reef heights and spots ensure safe boat navigation. Fishermen in Odisha and Tamil Nadu now install their own, yielding strong results, Jha noted.

 

For seaweed cultivation, NIOT counters the “marine weed” stigma by highlighting its nutritional, pharmaceutical, and industrial value staples in diets from the Philippines to Thailand. With the Fisheries Department, NIOT has trained 96 islanders; Seaweed Collection Centres, like milk networks, are next to build markets. Yet, lacking direct international flights hikes export costs for fisheries and seaweed, curbing fishermen’s earnings. Better connectivity would enable direct shipments and fairer prices, Jha said. NIOT also drives the Deep Ocean Mission’s Samudrayaan a three-person submersible for 6,000-meter dives. Its spherical hull will probe deep-sea environments, biodiversity, and resources, with trials eyed for 2027. NIOT supports 25-year Seawater Quality Monitoring along India’s coast, including the islands, via the Ministry of Earth Sciences, National Centre for Coastal Research, and partners. The data fuels environmental assessments and marine planning. Through safe, scientific marine use, NIOT’s island work enhances livelihoods, protects ecosystems, and advances India’s ocean self-reliance, Jha stated.