Introduction to Exotics and Trans-Boundary Movement of Aquatic Organisms: Policy Requirements and Relevance to Indian Aquaculture in the Post-WTO Scenario
Aquaculture is one of the fastest growing industries with an annual growth rate of more than 11 per cent for the past 10 years, producing about 16 per cent of the world supply of animal protein, primarily for human consumption. FAO (2007) has estimated the production from aquaculture at 47.8 million tonnes in 2005 and the global aquaculture production in comparison has overtaken the global production of meat from bovine, ovine, porcine and poultry. Global aquaculture production has jumped from a mere 3.9 per cent of the food produced in 1970 to an impressive 47 per cent in 2006, which indicates a 10 per cent per annum growth. The Indian aquaculture sector led by shrimp and carp farming has recorded an impressive growth during the past decades, raising itself to the status of an industry and a major source of foreign exchange to the country to the tune of @15000 crores/year. The strength of Indian aquaculture lies in (a) large water bodies suitable for aquaculture, (b) tropical Climate, (c) species diversity and (d) availability of cheap labour. While the weakness include (a) unregulated development, (b) disease problems and (c) lack of scientific approaches and (d) non-compliance with guidelines and regulations
