The Hindu Editorial Analysis- 22nd May 2025 | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly - UPSC PDF Download

Overfishing — the threat to ocean wealth, livelihoods

Why in News?

If we keep using marine resources too much, it will only make poverty worse, harm marine biodiversity, and ruin the chances for sustainable harvests.

Introduction

India’s marine fisheries sector now produces around 3 to 4 million tonnes of fish each year, showing that the country has likely reached its maximum sustainable catch. However, even with this large production, there is unfairness. Small-scale fishers make up 90% of the fishing community, but they catch only about 10% of the total fish. Most of the catch is taken by large mechanised fishing operations.

Socio-economic Challenges

• Poverty: Nearly 75% of marine fisher families in India live below the poverty line.
• Overfishing: Fisherfolk try to catch “just one more kilo” using bigger engines and newer nets.
• Minimal Gain: This results in a minimal increase in fish catch.
• Financial Strain: It leads to higher debt, fuel costs, and financial pressure on already poor communities.

Ecological Impact of Shrimp Trawling

Technical Factors Worsening Decline

• Use of small mesh nets ( < 25mm="">. catches juvenile fish.
• Reduces spawning stock biomass, leading to lower fish reproduction rates.
• Results in decline of commercial species like sardine and mackerel.
• Such declines may take decades to recover. or may become irreversible.

Global Precedents of Fishery Collapses

Regulatory & Policy Challenges in India

• Each coastal State/UT has its own Marine Fisheries Regulation Act (MFRA).
• Creates a patchwork of laws, making it easy for illegal fishers to bypass rules.
• Juvenile fish are protected in one State but may be legally caught in another.
• Leads to “laundering” of undersized fish, harming conservation efforts.

Global Best Practice: New Zealand's Quota Management System (QMS)

Adapting QMS in India: Potential Benefits

• Introduce QMS for large mechanised trawlers, at least in pilot zones.
• Link fishing rights to stock health, not to vessel size or fuel usage.
• Apply targeted size limits and Minimum Legal Size (MLS) rules.
• Case Study (Kerala): After enforcing MLS for threadfin bream, fish catch increased by 41% in one season.
• Allowing fish to grow and reproduce leads to better yields and higher fisher incomes.

Threat from Fish-Meal and Fish-Oil (FMFO) Industry

Solutions to Align Industry with Conservation

• Cap FMFO quotas to limit overuse.
• Mandate release of juvenile fish back into the sea.
• Redirect bycatch to local aquaculture broodstock, not export.

Multi-Level Action Plan for Reform

 We stand at the crossroads 

• Climate change is causing more storms and coastal erosion.
• India’s coastline stretches over 11,098 km, affecting over 3,000 fishing villages.
• Overfishing worsens poverty, harms marine biodiversity, and reduces sustainable fish yields.
• Set science-based catch limits (quotas).
• Create uniform fishing regulations across all States.
• Promote community-led marine protection.
• Shift policies toward long-term sustainability over short-term gain.

Conclusion

On this International Day for Biological Diversity, let us promise to protect India’s rich marine life. We should do this not just for our food and jobs today, but also to ensure strong ecosystems and fair prosperity for the future generations.

Narrating the nation abroad

Why in News?

India is sending diplomatic envoys to various countries to clarify its stance on recent clashes with Pakistan and the terrorist attack that initiated them. This raises a crucial question: Is this proactive diplomatic effort a demonstration of strength or merely a reassurance tactic?

Introduction

India’s recent decision to dispatch diplomatic envoys and delegates to various countries aims to explain its perspective on the recent clashes with Pakistan and the terrorist attack that triggered them. This raises an important question: Is this proactive diplomatic move a sign of strength or merely an attempt to reassure others?

India's Diplomatic Outreach and Narrative Legitimacy

• On the surface, India’s diplomatic outreach seems to be a strategic effort to:
  • Manage international perception.
  • Prevent misrepresentation.
  • Reinforce India’s image as a responsible global actor.
• However, there is a deeper issue of narrative legitimacy at play:
  • In today’s world, perception often holds more weight than facts.
  • International sympathy is not a given and must be earned.
• Public debate often centers around the government’s domestic strategy and the political motivations behind selecting delegation members. However, more critical questions include:
  • The necessity of this diplomatic initiative.
  • Its potential effectiveness.
  • The anticipated outcomes.
• In the contemporary global landscape, states must perform legitimacy for an audience comprising allies, media, and institutions. India’s outreach is a part of this performance.
• The objective of the outreach is to demonstrate that India’s military response is:
  • Measured and targeted at terrorists.
  • Aimed at defending sovereignty.
  • Not a pretext for escalating old rivalries.
• From this perspective, the diplomatic move reflects:
  • Calculated strength.
  • Confidence in India’s ability to take the moral high ground.
  • Capability to secure international support through effective communication.
• However, the need for such diplomatic efforts also indicates an underlying legitimacy deficit. If India’s position were universally accepted, such explanations would not be necessary.
• Therefore, India’s diplomatic clarification signifies:
  • Concern about its actions being misinterpreted, misrepresented, or overlooked.
  • Acknowledgment of the fragility of international opinion.
  • Desire to control the narrative while recognizing its vulnerability.

Misinformation in the India-Pakistan Conflict Era

The speed at which misinformation spreads now surpasses official briefings, making the public more susceptible to falsehoods. Recent conflicts illustrate how easily untrue information is accepted as fact, with examples such as:

• Old video footage being misrepresented as current events.
• Unrelated disaster clips being falsely linked to ongoing conflicts.
• Scenes from digital war games being circulated as real military operations.

This misinformation is not solely state-sponsored; it is primarily generated and shared by ordinary social media users motivated by:

• Nationalist fervor
• Emotional reactions
• Digital mischief

Actor

Role in Misinformation

• Ordinary Users. Share and amplify false content, contributing to the spread of misinformation through viral sensational videos.
• Social Media Users. Spread fabricated content on both sides of the conflict, with users from India and Pakistan contributing to the dissemination of false information.
• Technology (AI). The use of AI to generate deepfakes and AI images makes it harder to detect misinformation, as these advanced technologies create realistic but false images and videos.

Impact on Credibility and Public Perception

• India’s attempts to clarify the facts face significant challenges because of pre-existing opinions shaped by viral and emotionally charged content.
• This situation raises important questions about the current state of information:
  • Does verifiable information still hold value as a public good?
  • Has news transformed into a medium of emotional impact and performance rather than a source of truth?
• The diminishing trust in information sources represents a profound philosophical dilemma. Traditionally, the saying “truth is the first casualty of war” referred to state secrecy, as seen in historical examples like the euphemistic surrender speech of the Japanese emperor during World War II.
• In the present context, distortion of truth is driven by citizens who produce and share falsehoods that align with their beliefs, leading to a participatory and bottom-up distortion of reality.
• This shift blurs the boundaries between what is true and what is an illusion, making it increasingly difficult to engage in meaningful discussions based on shared facts.

Philosophical Context: Simulation and Reality

India’s Diplomatic Campaign: A Battle for Credibility

• India’s diplomatic efforts extend beyond mere persuasion; they aim to restore the conditions necessary for meaningful dialogue.
• This campaign could signal either:
  • An admission of vulnerability, indicating a need for reassurance and support, or
  • A reassertion of national strength based on historical authenticity, drawing on examples like the Non-Aligned Movement legacy.
• If India fails to restore trust and credibility, there are significant risks:
  • The principles of military precision and moral clarity may become irrelevant in the eyes of the audience.
  • The audience might lose the ability to differentiate between justified actions and manufactured illusions, blurring the lines between reality and falsehood.

Conclusion

The crucial issue at hand is not whether India can effectively explain its actions to the world, but rather if the world is capable of perceiving these explanations as truthful and not dismissing them as just another version of events. If this capacity is lost, it signifies a deeper loss beyond mere credibility — it represents the loss of an opportunity for authentic politics and genuine discourse.