India’s Fisheries & Aquaculture

Source: TH

Subject: Economy

Context: World Fisheries Day 2025 highlighted India’s rapid rise in fisheries and aquaculture and the FAO’s call for renewed commitment to “India’s Blue Transformation”.

• The FAO representative noted that despite India becoming the world’s 2nd-largest aquaculture producer, sustainability gaps and ecosystem pressures require urgent policy strengthening.

About India’s Fisheries & Aquaculture:

Trends / Data:

1. Rapid Output Growth (1980s → 2023): India’s total aquatic production rose from 44 million tonnes (1980s) to 17.54 million tonnes (2022–23), reflecting a seven-fold expansion driven mainly by inland aquaculture.
2. India as Global Aquaculture Leader: According to FAO SOFIA 2024, India contributed 23 million tonnes of aquatic animals, becoming the world’s 2nd-largest aquaculture producer after China.
3. Shrimp & Marine Export Strength: Marine products exports increased 08%, from bn (Oct 2024) to bn (Oct 2025), driven by high-value shrimp aquaculture and better value-addition.
4. Inland Aquaculture Driving Growth: Between 2013–14 and 2024–25, total fish output doubled from 96 lakh tonnes to 195 lakh tonnes, with inland fisheries alone growing 140%, becoming India’s key production engine.
5. Sectoral Base & Livelihood Footprint: India sustains 30 million livelihoods, with 3,477 coastal fishing villages producing 72% of national output, showing high dependence on coastal ecosystem stability.

Opportunities For India:

1. Global Seafood Market Expansion: India’s competitive labour, strong shrimp sector, and GST cuts (12%→5% on key fish products) create a cost advantage for expanding presence in markets like the U.S., EU, and East Asia.
2. Blue Economy Potential Through EEZ Rules: New Sustainable Harnessing of EEZ Rules (2025) open deep-sea fishing opportunities for Fish Farmer Producer Organisations, unlocking underutilised high-value pelagic stocks.
3. Digital Governance for Traceability: Platforms like ReALCraft, NFDP and the National Traceability Framework can help India meet global compliance norms, improving export premiums and reducing rejection risks.
4. Climate-Resilient Aquaculture Models: FAO-supported projects in Andhra Pradesh demonstrate climate-resilient pond systems that reduce footprint, offering models for replication across other coastal States.
5. Women-Centric Growth Opportunities: Schemes under PMMSY provide 60% assistance to women, enabling their entry into value-addition, retail fish kiosks, and processing units—strengthening inclusive sectoral growth.

Initiatives Taken:

1. PM Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY): With ₹20,312 crore outlay (2020–26), PMMSY created 730 cold storages, 26,348 transport facilities, 6,410 kiosks, boosting national logistics and reducing post-harvest loss.
2. Climate-Resilient Coastal Fishermen Villages: 100 existing coastal villages are being upgraded into Climate-Resilient CFVs, adding cyclone-resilient housing, early warning systems, and livelihood diversification support.
3. EEZ Sustainable Harnessing Rules, 2025: Rules provide priority access to cooperatives for deep-sea fishing, introduce a digital Access-Pass via ReALCraft, and ban destructive practices to protect marine biodiversity.
4. Marine Fisheries Census 2025: Using VyAS-NAV, BHARAT, SUTRA apps, the census geo-references 2 million households across 5,000 villages, creating real-time socio-economic datasets for targeted policy.
5. Fisheries Infrastructure Development (FIDF): FIDF (₹7,522 crore corpus) finances ports, cold chains and aquaculture parks; 178 projects worth ₹6,369 crore were approved by July 2025 with interest subvention support.

Challenges Associated:

1. Overfishing & Stock Decline: Intensive coastal fishing and juvenile catch deplete nearshore stocks, reducing availability of species like sardines and mackerel across Western and Eastern coasts.
2. Habitat Degradation & Pollution: Seagrass loss, coastal sedimentation, and harbour pollution undermine nursery grounds, reducing recruitment of commercially valuable species in high-density coasts.
3. IUU Fishing Pressure: Illegal and unregulated fishing vessels frequently operate beyond permitted zones, bypassing catch reporting and undermining fair access for small-scale fishers.
4. Post-Harvest Losses & Poor Cold Chains: Despite improvements, India still loses 15–20% of fish post-harvest, lowering export quality due to gaps in hygienic handling, grading, and value-addition practices.
5. Limited Access to Credit & Insurance: Small-scale fishers face difficulty obtaining boat repair loans, affordable insurance, and working capital despite PM-MKSSY incentives, restricting technological upgrades.

Way Ahead:

1. Strengthen Science-Based Stock Management: Adopt zone-wise stock assessments, seasonal closures, and mesh-size regulation to restore declining coastal stocks and align with FAO’s ecosystem-based approaches.
2. Expand Deep-Sea Fisheries Capacity: Modernise cooperative-owned vessels, promote onboard cold storage, and expand training for deep-sea navigation to shift pressure away from overfished coastal waters.
3. Build National Traceability & Certification Systems: Implement the National Framework on Traceability across exporters, landing sites, and hatcheries to meet EU/U.S. standards and increase export competitiveness.
4. Strengthen Aquaculture Biosecurity: Enforce hatchery certification, disease-free seed systems, and water quality monitoring to reduce disease outbreaks and enhance productivity in inland aquaculture.
5. Invest in Climate-Resilient Infrastructure: Upgrade harbours with smart-harbour guidelines, cyclone-resilient structures, early warning systems, and climate-adaptive pond designs to reduce climate vulnerability.

Conclusion:

India’s fisheries and aquaculture are entering a transformative phase marked by rapid growth, digital governance, and global market expansion. Sustained policy reforms, climate-resilient practices, and science-driven management can convert this momentum into long-term sectoral stability. With inclusive support for small fishers and strong institutional backing, India can lead a resilient and globally competitive blue economy.