Inter-island Fishery Resources of Indian Ocean: A budding prospect for the Indian Seafood sector

Abstract

The oceans describe our mother planet as blue and make her alive. The living resources of the oceans contribute immensely towards the development of global seafood sector. Seafood is well known for its health benefits, with the presence of quality protein, essential amino acids and presence of omega 3 fatty acids. These aquatic resources also form reserves of several bioactive compounds possessing excellent pharmaceutical and medicinal values. Hence, the presence of oceanic reserves of a country significantly influences its overall GDP.  Indian Ocean is the third largest ocean among all the five oceans of the world, with unique oceanic currents and upwelling patterns making it ecologically diverse. The only ocean to be named after a country, Indian Ocean resembles an embayed ocean bordered by landmasses along three sides along the Indian peninsular. This distinctive feature of the Indian Ocean, geologically, has made her a rich reserve of fishery resources. The inter archipelago of Indian Ocean consists of numerous islands with low cays of coral sand, reefs and high islands that harbours huge diversity of marine organisms. This review discusses about the key island nations along the Indian Ocean, sharing potential seafood resources with our country and could become a leading collaborator for boosting the seafood sector globally