A top official of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) today stressed the need to focus on refining technologies to improve the forecasting system in the fisheries sector. "Technology is moving very fast. Scientists should ensure the existing forecasting system in fisheries and agriculture sectors is accurate and authentic", Dr Trilochan Mohapatra, Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education and Director General of the ICAR said. He was inaugurating the second international symposium of the Societal Applications in Fisheries and Aquaculture using Remote Sensing Imagery (SAFARI), organised by the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) here today. Mohapatra said remote sensing techniques could effectively be used to develop proper technologies to maintain accuracy in a slew of activities like weather warning,real-time advisories on nature of the sea and forecasting various ocean phenomena. "Scientists should be ready to improve the algorithms and models being used for the forecasting purposes in frequent intervals.
Besides developing proper technologies, they have to update them constantly", Mohapatra said. Referring to the significance of remote sensing techniques in the fisheries, the ICAR Chief said ecological sustainability could be achieved by tapping the fortunes of satellite remote sensing technology. "We are in the process of increasing fish production,both capture and culture, to usher in the Blue Revolution utilising our vast resources. At the same time, we should be prepared to maintain the sustainability in the sector, and so responsible fishing should be encouraged. For this, satellite remote sensing techniques would be of great advantage to understand the ecosystem at a deeper level which would help implement proper guidelines for ensuring sustainability in fisheries, he said. SAFARI is a global research project of the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) and is now embedded in GEO's 'Ocean and Society: Blue Planet' initiative. The three-day symposium, titled 'Remote Sensing for Ecosystem Analysis and Fisheries', is part of CMFRI's move to tap the fortunes of Indias satellite technology in favour of the marine fisheries sector. The meet will come up with a road map for utilising satellite data for scores of objectives in the marine sector of the country. Dr J K Jena, Deputy Director General (Fisheries) of ICAR presided over the function.
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