MECoS 4 Highlights Need for Women Empowerment & Startup Support

By: WE staff | Friday, 7 November 2025

• The key initiatives from the 4th MECoS 4 emphasize approach to marine resource management.
• The recommendations from the symposium included a focus on women’s empowerment and entrepreneurship

The 4th International Symposium on Marine Ecosystems (MECoS 4) addressed ecosystem-based multi-species management and its purpose to sustain marine resources and the blue economy of India in a sustainable and inclusive manner.

MECoS 4 also highlighted that women's empowerment and startup support are two concrete thematic areas in sustainable development of ocean economies.

Specifically, the symposium that was organized by the Marine Biological Association of India (MBAI) and the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) recommended clear and specific approaches to capacity development, support for innovation, and opportunities for women and youth to lead in marine and coastal sectors.

At, this MECoS 4 called for recommendations that included appropriate climate resilience in marine policies, ways to improve public–private partnership mechanisms in mariculture and ways to integrate cold chain Traceability systems, and inclusion of environmental and socio-economic indicators into managing fisheries.

MECoS 4 emphasized regional cooperation and institutional partnerships to support excellence centers together in research, innovation, and developing policies.

According to A. Bijukumar, Vice Chancellor of the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies, collaboration is necessary in order to optimize marine ecosystems while safeguarding costs other people's livelihoods.

Grinson George, Director of CMFRI, argued that the marks that the impacts come from MECoS 4 would have major bearings on India’s sustainable fisheries and ocean governance approaches in association with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and progressively more with the blue economy vision.

Marine scientists also talked about impacts on global oceans including the fast warming Polar Regions in which polar oceans are warming nearly four times faster than the global average, bringing on substantial impacts.

Thamban Meloth, Director of NCPOR, said that the loss of sea ice was driving sea level rise, changes in tropical coastlines and greater cyclone formation in the Arabian Sea.

The melted ice changes salinity and acidity as well as nutrient balance which impacts phytoplankton productivity to fisheries and even wildfires in polar and sub polar ecosystems.