New Delhi, April 29 -- The 5th Marine Fisheries Census (MFC), which will document every marine fisher family, fisher village, fishing craft and gear, as well as infrastructure facilities associated with fishing harbours and fish landing centres across the country, began on April 28, 2025.

For the first time, the census will have the feature of real-time validation because it will be done through a geo-referenced, app-based digital system that can record summary pictures of fishing villages based on primary and secondary sources. For the purpose of digital-based data collection, a mobile application called 'VyAS-NAV' has been developed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (ICAR-CMFRI)...