The Coastal Aquaculture Authority (Amendment) Bill 2023 was introduced in the Lok Sabha.

What is Aquaculture?

• Aquaculture essentially means, breeding, raising, and harvesting fish, shellfish, and aquatic plants.
• In a nutshell, it’s farming in water.
• Saline water along the coast has been found to be suitable for practising aquaculture which produces shrimp, majorly.
• If aquaculture is not practised on this land, it will be left idle and uncultivated as it is not suitable for the cultivation of crops.
• Aquaculture can be practised on about 12 lakh hectares in the country along the coast, of which only 14% has been utilized so far.

Key highlights of the amendment

• Decriminalisation of certain offences: The Bill aims to decriminalize the offences under the Coastal Aquaculture Authority Act.
• Fine-tuning operational procedures: It seeks to promote ease of doing business and to fine-tune the operational procedures of the authority.
• Promotion of environment-friendly coastal aquaculture: The Bill also aims to promote newer forms of environment-friendly coastal aquaculture, such as cage culture, seaweed culture, marine ornamental fish culture, and pearl oyster culture.
• Create employment opportunities: These newer forms of coastal aquaculture have the potential to create additional employment opportunities.
• Prevention of use of harmful substances in coastal aquaculture: The Bill also includes a provision to prevent the use of antibiotics and pharmacologically active substances that are harmful to human health in coastal aquaculture.

About the Coastal Aquaculture Act

• This Act was enacted in the year 2005 for the establishment an authority to regulate activities in this sector.
• It is a parliamentary act that establishes the Coastal Aquaculture Authority (CAA) for the regulation and registration of coastal aquaculture farms in India.

Overview

• The CAA Act, of 2005 mandates the Central Government to take measures to regulate coastal aquaculture and ensure that it does not cause any harm to the coastal environment.
• The guidelines prescribed by the government aim to promote responsible coastal aquaculture practices that protect the livelihood of various coastal communities.

Key features

• The CAA Act, 2005 provides for the establishment of the Coastal Aquaculture Authority to regulate the activities related to coastal aquaculture.
• The Central Government is responsible for prescribing guidelines to regulate coastal aquaculture activities and ensure responsible practices.
• The guidelines aim to protect the livelihood of coastal communities and prevent any harm to the coastal environment.
• The Act also mandates the registration of coastal aquaculture farms to ensure their compliance with the guidelines.
• The CAA is a strong force in enforcing the regulations and registration of coastal aquaculture farms in India.

Significance

• The Coastal Aquaculture Authority Act, of 2005 is significant in promoting responsible coastal aquaculture practices and protecting the livelihood of coastal communities.
• The act ensures that coastal aquaculture activities are regulated and registered, which helps prevent harm to the coastal environment.

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