OCEAN

EFORE I 947, fisheries research B and development in India were considered the main responsibility of the then provinces and states. The Government of India had no direct interest in fisheries. The state departments of fisheries were mainly concerned in collecting revenue and very little effort was made to develop an understanding of the living marine resources. Most of the earlier studies were of a faunistic nature, and these were carried out by the Zoological Survey of India. Of the then existing maritime states, Madras and Bombay were the only states where some fundamental work related to regional fisheries was done. During the Second World War, the lack of good quality fish, especially for the British and American military personnel, led the Government of India to formulate a policy of research, development and conservation of fishery resources similar to those of agriculture, forestry and veterinary.