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Deep-Sea Fishing promotion and incentives

March 12, 2026 4 min read Economics Polity & Governance GS3 (Indian Economy Blue Economy Maritime Policy) GS2 (Governance International Law)
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What Happened

  • The Ministry of External Affairs (now clarified as the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying) notified the Sustainable Harnessing of Fisheries in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) Rules, 2025 on November 4, 2025, under the Territorial Waters, Continental Shelf, Exclusive Economic Zone and Other Maritime Zones Act, 1976.
  • The rules introduce a fully digital "Access Pass" system for mechanised vessels to fish in India's EEZ, available free of cost through the ReALCRaft portal.
  • By March 5, 2026, 707 access passes had been issued to vessels across all coastal states and union territories.
  • The rules give priority to Fishermen Cooperative Societies and Fish Farmer Producer Organisations (FFPOs) for deep-sea fishing operations.
  • The Fishery Survey of India (FSI) trained 112 fishers from Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep in 2025-26 in deep-sea tuna longlining and sashimi-grade tuna handling.
  • The rules prohibit harmful practices including LED light fishing, pair trawling, and bull trawling.

Static Topic Bridges

Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and UNCLOS Framework

India's Exclusive Economic Zone extends 200 nautical miles from the country's baselines under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS, 1982). Within the EEZ, India has sovereign rights for exploring, exploiting, conserving, and managing natural resources — both living (fish) and non-living (mineral nodules). The EEZ is not full sovereignty (unlike territorial waters), but the coastal state controls economic activities. India ratified UNCLOS in 1995.

  • Territorial Sea: 12 nautical miles from baselines (full sovereignty; UNCLOS Article 3).
  • Contiguous Zone: 12-24 nautical miles (customs, immigration, pollution control enforcement).
  • Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ): up to 200 nautical miles (sovereign rights over resources; no full sovereignty over navigation).
  • Continental Shelf: natural prolongation of land territory to a maximum of 350 nautical miles (seabed rights beyond EEZ).
  • India's EEZ: approximately 2.02 million sq. km.
  • The Territorial Waters, Continental Shelf, EEZ and Other Maritime Zones Act, 1976 (domestic legislation implementing UNCLOS).

Connection to this news: The EEZ Rules 2025 operationalise India's sovereign rights under UNCLOS by creating a regulatory framework for accessing the EEZ's fishery resources — converting a legal right into a managed economic activity.

India's Deep-Sea Fisheries: Untapped Potential

India's EEZ is estimated to support a sustainable marine fish production potential of approximately 5 million metric tonnes (MMT) annually, but actual marine catch stands at approximately 4.5 MMT — close to the sustainable limit in inshore/coastal waters. The EEZ's deeper waters (beyond 50 metres) are significantly underexploited, particularly for high-value species: tuna (bigeye, yellowfin, skipjack), swordfish, cuttlefish, and crustaceans. India's deep-sea fishing capacity was historically limited; the EEZ Rules 2025 are designed to systematically develop this capacity.

  • India's total marine fish catch: approximately 4.5 MMT annually.
  • Inshore waters (0-50 metres): heavily exploited and under stress.
  • Deep-sea waters (>200 metres): significantly underexploited; home to tuna, swordfish, and crustaceans.
  • Tuna production potential in India's EEZ: estimated at 1 MMT+ annually.
  • Sashimi-grade tuna: premium export product (Japan, South Korea, US); requires specialised handling and temperature chain.
  • 707 Access Passes issued by March 5, 2026 — early-stage adoption of the new EEZ framework.

Connection to this news: The focus on Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep Island fishers for training in deep-sea tuna is geopolitically significant: these islands lie in the heart of the Indian Ocean, close to major tuna migration routes, and their economic development serves both fishermen's welfare and India's strategic presence in these island territories.

India's Fisheries Cooperative Model and Blue Economy Policy

The Fisheries Cooperatives model is fundamental to India's fisheries governance. District and state-level fisheries cooperatives (like the Kerala-based MATSYAFED, or the Tamil Nadu Fisheries Development Corporation) aggregate small fishers' access to credit, markets, insurance, and technology. The EEZ Rules 2025's preference for Fishermen Cooperative Societies and FFPOs (Fish Farmer Producer Organisations) builds on this institutional base to organise deep-sea fishing at scale rather than leaving it to individual operators.

  • MATSYAFED (Kerala): one of India's oldest and largest fisheries cooperatives; model for other states.
  • Fish Farmer Producer Organisations (FFPOs): modelled on FPOs (Farmer Producer Organisations) in agriculture; aggregate smaller fish farmers.
  • PMMSY (Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana): provides financing for cooperative and FFPO-based fisheries infrastructure.
  • ReALCRaft portal: Rationalised, Assessed, and Licensed Commercial Fishing in the EEZ — digital governance platform for EEZ access management.
  • India's Blue Economy Policy (2021 draft): envisions ocean economy contributing 4-5% of national GDP; fisheries as a core pillar.
  • Andaman & Nicobar Islands: approximately 572 islands; India's territorial waters extend 500+ km into the Bay of Bengal.

Connection to this news: The digital Access Pass system through ReALCRaft and the cooperative-priority approach demonstrate a governance philosophy of regulated, transparent access to common resources — preventing the "tragedy of the commons" in India's EEZ while building capacity among small-scale and coastal fishing communities.

Key Facts & Data

  • EEZ Rules 2025 notified: November 4, 2025 (under Territorial Waters, Continental Shelf, EEZ Act, 1976)
  • Access passes issued by March 5, 2026: 707 across all coastal states/UTs
  • Digital portal: ReALCRaft (free of cost access pass)
  • Fishers trained (FY25-26): 112 from Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep in deep-sea tuna longlining
  • India's EEZ: approximately 2.02 million sq. km
  • Territorial Waters: 12 nautical miles; Contiguous Zone: 24 nautical miles; EEZ: 200 nautical miles
  • UNCLOS: India ratified 1995
  • Prohibited practices: LED light fishing, pair trawling, bull trawling
  • Sustainable marine fish potential in India's EEZ: ~5 MMT/year; current marine catch: ~4.5 MMT