NEW DELHI — The Centre’s Department of Fisheries will celebrate World Fisheries Day (WFD) on Thursday, recognising the role and contribution of fisherfolk, and fish farmers in the overall growth of the sector, and demonstrating solidarity with all stakeholders throughout the world, according to an official statement issued on Wednesday. This year’s theme for World Fisheries Day, 2024 is India’s Blue Transformation: Strengthening Small-Scale and Sustainable Fisheries. The inaugural session will feature the launch of key initiatives aimed at advancing sustainable fisheries and aquaculture. These include the launch of the 5th Marine Fisheries Census for data-driven policymaking, the launch of the National Plan of Action on Sharks for sustainable shark management and the Bay of Bengal-Regional Plan of Action on IUU Fishing to prevent illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing. The IMO-FAO GloLitter Partnership Project to combat marine plastic litter and Standard Operating Procedures for retrofitted LPG kits to promote energy-efficient, low-cost marine fishing fuels will also be launched on the occasion, the official statement said. The event will be hosted at Sushma Swaraj Bhawan in the national capital and is likely to be attended by Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying (MoFAH&D) Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh,...