Geospatial and Temporal Studies on Climatic Parameters and Their Impact on Inland Fish Production: A Case Study

Abstract

Climate change threatening the word food security including fisheries production. The current study aimed to find the relationship between different climatic variables and fish production by generating spatial maps. The climatic parameters data viz., mean maximum temperature; mean minimum temperature; total rainfall, and mean wind speed were plotted in GIS (Geographical Information System) platform and thematic mapping of it’s for all the districts of Maharashtra for the year 1975 and 2017 on quarter basis was done using QGIS 3.6.1. The thematic maps of the percentage change in parameters of all the quarters of the year 2017 and 1975 were done for all the zone of Maharashtra. In addition, the thematic maps of the percentage change in parameters along with fish production of all the quarters of the year 2017–18 for the year 2012 were done for all the zone. The sensitivity analysis of climatic parameters with inland fish production for Maharashtra state and all the seven zones were done using GAM (Generalized Additive Model). The mean maximum temperature (MMAX) and total monthly rainfall (TMRF) were found to the most significant factors in the prediction of inland fish production. The average increase in MMAX during the 2nd and 3rd quarters (April to September) was less than the average increase in MMAX during the 1st and 4th quarters, whereas, in case of rainfall an average decrease was estimated during the 2nd and 3rd quarter. The current study found that Nagpur and Pune were the two highest fish-producing regions, and Konkan and Aurangabad were the two least productive regions.