Govt readies SOPs for drones in fisheries

The Government is ready with Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the application of drone technology in the fisheries and aquaculture sector, Parliament was informed on Wednesday.Fisheries Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh, in his written reply to the Rajya Sabha, said his ministry has taken an initiative to promote the use of drone technology in fisheries and aquaculture.

“This is a first-of-its-kind initiative in the fisheries sector for introducing drone applications in fish and shrimp transportation, surveillance, disease monitoring and feed spraying,” he said. Under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana, the West Bengal-based ICAR-Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute (ICAR-CIFRI) has developed and field-tested a drone technology for live fish transportation.The drone is capable of transporting up to 70 kg of fish/shrimps and other related materials.

The minister further said a technical committee has finalised the draft SOPs for the application of drone technology in the fisheries and aquaculture sector.“The draft SOPs, inter alia, envisage drone-based monitoring and disease surveillance in aquaculture farms across the country, including Andhra Pradesh,” he said.The SOPs will serve as a guiding document to streamline the adoption of drone technology, ensuring efficiency, safety and sustainability in fish transportation, feed distribution, disease control and management, and underwater monitoring and surveillance, he added.