Marine Fisheries Census 2025 to Utilize VYAS Apps for Digital, Real-Time Data Collection
Union Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying, Shri George Kurian, unveiled the Marine Fisheries Census (MFC) 2025 Household Enumeration and the VYAS – BHARAT and VYAS – SUTRA applications in Kochi today. This initiative marks a significant shift towards a fully digital enumeration process, moving away from traditional paper methods. The MFC 2025 aims to create a comprehensive, geo-referenced national database that will support evidence-based planning for the fishing community. During the launch, Kurian encouraged fishermen and fish farmers to register on the National Fisheries Development Portal (NFDP) to access various government benefits.
Transforming Enumeration with Technology
The MFC 2025 represents a groundbreaking advancement in the enumeration of fisher households, transitioning from previous censuses conducted in 2005, 2010, and 2016. This census will digitally enumerate approximately 1.2 million fisher households across 5,000 villages and habitats in 13 coastal states and union territories, including the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep. The enumeration period is set for 45 days, running from November 3 to December 18, 2025. This digital approach promises to enhance data accuracy and efficiency, as it eliminates manual errors and speeds up data processing.
The census will utilize a suite of custom-designed, multilingual Android applications, including VyAS–NAV for validating fishing villages and harbors, VyAS–BHARAT for household and infrastructure enumeration, and VyAS–SUTRA for real-time supervision and monitoring. This innovative framework will ensure that data collection is not only accurate but also timely, allowing for effective management of the census process.
Comprehensive Data Collection for Targeted Welfare
The MFC 2025 aims to gather extensive socio-economic data to better understand the conditions of the coastal population. For the first time, the census will collect detailed information on family income, homeownership, outstanding debts, and sources of credit. This granular data will enable the government to tailor its interventions more effectively, ensuring that support reaches those who need it most.
Additionally, the census will focus on vulnerability by collecting information on insurance coverage, significant losses or disabilities, and the socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on fishing families. This data will help assess the effectiveness of existing welfare schemes, such as the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) and the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Kalyan Sampraday Yojana (PM-MKSSY).
Innovative Approaches to Data Collection
The preparatory phase for the MFC 2025 has involved extensive workshops and coordination meetings, including the Coastal States Fisheries Meet 2025. The Department of Fisheries and the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) are also promoting the use of drone technology to enhance data collection transparency and efficiency. Drones will be deployed to conduct aerial surveys of fishing crafts during trawl ban periods, covering major harbors on both the East and West Coasts.
This innovative approach will provide a neutral and verifiable source of data to complement ground-level collection efforts. By utilizing drone technology, the census aims to ensure that the data collected is comprehensive and accurate, further supporting the development of targeted welfare programs for the fishing community.
A New Era for Fisheries Governance
The MFC 2025 is fully funded by the Department of Fisheries, Government of India, with the CMFRI serving as the nodal agency and the Fishery Survey of India (FSI) as the operational partner. This fifth edition of the Marine Fisheries Census will cover over 1.2 million households and will include detailed enumeration of fishers, fishing crafts, gears, and infrastructure across more than 1,200 landing centers and 50 fishing harbors.
The initiative, branded with the slogan “Smart Census, Smarter Fisheries,” aims to refine welfare programs and develop climate-resilient strategies for the fishing community. By establishing a robust data-driven framework, the MFC 2025 is set to enhance community-led growth and foster entrepreneurship among women and youth in coastal ecosystems.
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