Searching fish in the oceans is now easier, thanks to Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services, Hyderabad

Syed Akbar
Hyderabad: Searching fish in the vast depths of the Arabian
Sea and the Bay of Bengal will now be much easier with the city-based
Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services getting a
state-of-the-art ground station to receive data in real time from
Oceansat-2.

Union Minister for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Vilasrao
Deshmukh and Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy formally inaugurated
the ground station on Monday. Thus far, Incois has been obtaining
oceanographic data from the ground stations of the Indian Space
Research Organisation. Transmission of data from Isro's ground centre
to Incois has been delaying the process of issue of potential fishing
zone advisories.

Now that Incois has its own ground station directly linked to the
Isro's Oceansat-2, it will transmit data on fishing potential zones in
real time. As many as one lakh fishermen have been receiving the
Incois data that helps them in easier search of fish in the seas.

"Incois advisories reduce the search time for fish in the seas by
about 60 per cent, besides increasing the profits to fishermen by two
to four times. Less search time helps in reduced usage of diesel by
fishing boats and thus less pollution," Vilasrao Deshmukh said.

As the Oceansat-2 passes over the Arabian sea and the Bay of Bengal it
provides real time data to the ground station, he said adding that the
ocean forecast by Incois, which is valid for five days, not only helps
fishermen but also the Navy and the Coast Guard.

The Oceansat-2 ground station at Incois could cover an area of 5000 km
diameter circle cover the seas on either side of the country and
generate images of chlorophyll, suspended sediment and aerosol optical
depth from the Ocean Color Monitor (fitted to the satellite) in real
time. The ground station will help in improving the timelines in
issuing potential fishing zones advisories by directly acquiring it
from the satellite during the overhead passage.

The net annual benefit to fishermen due to scientific identification
of potential fishing zones by Incois is of the range of Rs 34,000
crore to Rs 50,000 crore. The new ground station will further increase
the revenue, Deshmukh said. The 7.5 metre diametre antenna system
attached to the ground station could also be used to receive data from
satellites launched by Isro in future to study the oceans.