BOBP-IGO kickstarted the process to set up a Fisheries Management Unit (FMU) in Pichavaram Mangrove Ecosystem, Tamil Nadu, India under the Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem (BOBLME) Project. BOBP-IGO is piloting Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM) in the region and will set up two FMUs in each member country: Bangladesh, India, Maldives and Sri Lanka based on EAFM principles and process.

The consultative Workshop brought together experts, academia: ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), Centre of Advanced Study in Marine Biology, Annamalai University, and institutional stakeholders: Department of Forests, Department of Fisheries, Government of Tamil Nadu and M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) to review the current status of resources and management arrangements in the proposed FMU.

Dr. P Krishnan, Director, BOBP-IGO, welcomed the participants and moderated the workshop along with Dr. E. Vivekanandan, Senior Scientific Consultant, BOBLME Project. Dr. S. T. Balasubramanian, noted academician and renowned expert of Pichavaram Mangrove Ecosystem, chaired the event.