The fisheries of the Arabian Sea large marine ecosystem

The fisheries of the Arabian Sea Large Marine Ecosystem, which includes the northern part of the western Indian Ocean, from the Horn of Africa to India's Malabar Coast are described, along with some of the physical parameters impacting on their productivity. The bulk of fishing and thus the majority of catches in the Arabian Sea occur within the exclusive economic zones of the bordering countries, which allow national governments to control and manage the exploitation of marine resources, allowing for potentially better control compared to most fishing in the high seas waters. Some progressive and forward-looking actions seem to have been taken on some issues plaguing fisheries, but most countries around this LME struggle with massive overcapacity, often enhanced by poor policy choices made in the past, especially with regards to the ill-advised preference given to industrial fisheries development at the expense of small-scale, food-security and livelihood fisheries. Serious considerations ought to be given by all these countries to reducing and tightly controlling industrial fishing, both domestic and foreign, with particular emphasis on reducing or banning wasteful bottom trawl fisheries and assisting and empowering well-managed small-scale fisheries.