Marine Fisheries

The marine fisheries sector is a core component of India’s coastal economy, providing food security, export earnings, and direct livelihood support to over 4 million fisherfolk. India possesses extensive marine resources distributed across distinct maritime boundaries.

Maritime Boundaries and Resource Base

• Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ): India exercises sovereign rights over an EEZ spanning 2.02 million square kilometers.
• Continental Shelf: The country possesses a continental shelf area of 393,527 square kilometers, which holds the bulk of harvestable demersal (bottom-dwelling) resources.
• Coastline Length: The total national coastline extends over 7,516.6 kilometers, divided between the mainland (5,422 kilometers) and island territories (2,094 kilometers).
• Spatial Exploitation Zone: Marine operations are structurally divided into territorial waters (up to 12 nautical miles) and deep-sea/oceanic waters extending up to 200 nautical miles.

Regional Ecological Polarization: West Coast vs. East Coast

• The Arabian Sea (West Coast): This region accounts for nearly 65% of India’s total marine fish landings. It features a wide continental shelf and experiences intense seasonal upwelling driven by the Southwest Monsoon. This upwelling brings nutrient-rich deeper waters to the surface, supporting large pelagic (open-ocean) fish stocks.
• The Bay of Bengal (East Coast): This region contributes roughly 35% of national landings. It has a narrower continental shelf and receives massive freshwater discharges from major river systems like the Ganga, Mahanadi, Godavari, and Krishna. These discharges lower salinity levels and increase turbidity, which shifts the ecosystem toward estuarine and demersal fish species.

State-Wise Performance and Landing Analytics

India’s annual marine fish landings stand at 35.7 lakh (3.57 million) tonnes. The commercial market value of these landings reaches approximately ₹69,254 crore at the landing center level and nearly ₹97,702 crore at the retail market level.

Leading Marine Fish Producing States and Resource Drivers

Commercial Catch Compositions

• Pelagic Resources: This group accounts for 54% of the total national catch. It is dominated by the Indian Mackerel, followed by the Indian Oil Sardine and Anchovies. These species are highly sensitive to sea surface temperature fluctuations.
• Demersal Resources: This category includes Threadfin breams, Croakers, Ribbon fishes, and Lizard fishes, which are harvested primarily via bottom trawling.
• Crustaceans and Molluscs: This group comprises Penaeid prawns, Squids, Cuttlefishes (Cephalopods), and Crabs. While smaller in absolute catch volume, they drive export values due to high international demand.

Institutional Frameworks, Technology, and Infrastructure Grids

The modernization of India’s marine fisheries is supported by a comprehensive framework of central schemes, scientific research institutions, and digital tracking tools.

Central Sector Interventions and Infrastructure Funds

• Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY): PMMSY coordinates central investments in the marine sector. Key approved interventions include installing bio-toilets on mechanized fishing vessels, deploying open-sea cages for marine finfish mariculture, and modernizing existing traditional vessels.
• Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF): This fund supports large-scale infrastructure projects. It has approved major allocations for the modernization and construction of fishing harbors and fish landing centers across both coasts.
• Tuna Fisheries Cluster Development: A targeted initiative under PMMSY to build a specialized tuna long-lining and processing cluster in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, aiming to tap into premium export markets for sashimi-grade tuna.

Scientific and Regulatory Architecture

• ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI): Headquartered in Kochi, CMFRI manages national marine resource assessments, biomass estimations, and the collection of annual landing data through its online sampling systems.
• Fishery Survey of India (FSI): Based in Mumbai, this body maps and surveys fish stocks within the EEZ to identify under-utilized deep-sea demersal and pelagic resources.
• Sustainable Fisheries Rules for the EEZ: Notified to enforce regulatory compliance, prevent illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and preserve biodiversity beyond territorial waters.

Digital Safety and Traceability Platforms

• Vessel Tracking Systems (VTS): Satellite-based transponders are being systematically installed on mechanized fishing vessels to monitor vessel positions, issue deep-sea distress alerts, and map Potential Fishing Zones (PFZs) using real-time sea-surface temperature data from ISRO satellites.
• Kisan Credit Card (KCC) for Marine Fishers: This program extends subsidized institutional working capital loans to marine fishers to meet immediate operational expenses like marine diesel, ice blocks, and net maintenance.
• Group Accidental Insurance Scheme (GAIS): Provides financial risk protection to over 3.3 million active marine fishers during deep-sea operations.

Structural Challenges, Trade Obstacles, and Sustainability Measures

Key Structural Bottlenecks

• Over-Exploitation of Coastal Waters: Traditional territorial waters (up to 12 nautical miles) face intense fishing pressure due to a high concentration of small and medium mechanized trawlers. This concentration leads to localized overfishing, juvenile fish catches, and resource disputes between traditional artisanal fishers and mechanized operators.
• Deep-Sea Capacity Deficits: While nearshore resources are heavily exploited, Indian fishers often lack the long-endurance deep-sea factory vessels and automated long-liners required to harvest lucrative deep-sea resources like Yellowfin Tuna and Oceanic Squids in the outer EEZ.
• Marine Pollution and Microplastics: Coastal ecosystems face degradation from untreated industrial waste, urban plastic pollution, and oil spills. These pollutants disrupt natural spawning grounds in sensitive ecosystems like estuaries, mangroves, and coral reefs.
• Climate Vulnerabilities: Shifting marine currents and ocean acidification drive migratory changes in key commercial fish stocks, altering traditional species distribution maps along the coasts.

International Trade Barriers

• Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Compliance: Indian marine exports face stringent quality inspections, technical barriers, and anti-dumping duties in major importing economies like the United States and the European Union. These restrictions are often driven by concerns over antibiotic residues and traceability standards.
• The WTO Fisheries Subsidies Mandate: Ongoing World Trade Organization negotiations aim to eliminate specific capacity-enhancing subsidies for fishing fleets. This poses a structural policy challenge for India, which seeks to balance deep-sea fleet modernization with global conservation commitments.

Strategic Imperatives

• Universalization of Sea Mariculture: Scaling up open-sea cage farming of premium species like Cobia, Pompano, and Sea Bass along designated coastal clusters to reduce the pressure on wild capture stocks.
• Strict Uniform Fishing Bans: Enforcing the mandatory 61-day seasonal fishing ban systematically across both the East and West coasts during the monsoon breeding cycles to allow for natural stock replenishment.
• Strict Implementation of Minimum Legal Size (MLS): Enforcing state-specific MLS regulations for commercial fish species to reduce the economic capture of juvenile fish and prevent the collapse of breeding populations.
• Expansion of Seaweed Aquaculture Clusters: Promoting organized seaweed cultivation using raft and long-line methods along coastal villages, particularly in Tamil Nadu and Lakshadweep, to create alternative livelihoods for small-scale coastal fishers.