Fishis known to be one of the most nutritious and affordable sources of high-quality animal protein, essential amino acids, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals. Increasing fish availability and promoting its consumption contribute significantly to combating malnutrition and improving public health, particularly in developing countries.
At the global level, capture fisheries and aquaculture play a pivotal role in ensuring food security, nutrition, employment, and economic development. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, global aquatic animal production exceeded 220 million tonnes in 2022, with fisheries and aquaculture contributing substantially to the diets of billions of people worldwide. Fish provides nearly 20% of the average per capita intake of animal protein for more than 3.3 billion people and is one of the most traded food commodities.
The oceans have emerged as one of the world's most valuable frontiers for ensuring food security, economic growth, energy security, climate resilience, and strategic maritime interests. Marine fisheries contribute significantly to global food production, employment generation, international trade, and the livelihoods of coastal communities. As capture fisheries in coastal waters increasingly approach their sustainable limits, attention has shifted towards the vast untapped resources available in deeper waters.
Deep sea fisheries constitute a critical pillar of the Blue Economy owing to their potential to generate high-value exports, create skilled employment, stimulate investments in vessel construction and seafood processing, and promote innovation in marine technologies. Sustainable development of deep sea fisheries contributes to multiple national objectives, including food security, foreign exchange earnings, coastal economic development, and maritime security.
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea recognizes the high seas as a global commons, where all nations enjoy the freedom to fish. Since these waters fall beyond national jurisdictions, fishing activities are regulated through Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs), which establish conservation and management measures to ensure the sustainable utilization of marine resources.
With a coastline of over 7,500 km, an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of approximately 2.02 million km², and an extended continental shelf, deep sea fisheries represent a strategic opportunity for India to enhance marine fish production while reducing pressure on overexploited coastal resources. Sustainable exploitation of oceanic resources such as tuna, oceanic squid, deep sea crustaceans, mesopelagic fishes, and other high-value species has the potential to significantly contribute to national food security, export earnings, employment generation, and the realization of the Blue Economy vision. Being the fourth-largest producer of capture fish in the world, the country has high stakes in the global marine fisheries sector, which contributes to India's economy in multiple ways through its role in augmenting food and nutritional security, supporting livelihoods, generating employment, and aiding gender equity.
With India's population projected to exceed 1.5 billion by 2030, ensuring adequate protein availability will remain a major policy priority. Sustainable development of deep sea fisheries offers an important avenue for meeting growing demand without further exploiting already stressed coastal fish stocks. Additionally, value-added products derived from deep sea species can strengthen domestic food systems while simultaneously enhancing export competitiveness.
Deep sea fisheries can substantially augment India's fish production by accessing underutilized pelagic and oceanic resources such as tuna, oceanic squid, mesopelagic fishes, and deep-water crustaceans. These resources possess immense potential to diversify domestic fish supplies, enhance nutritional security, and support food processing industries.
Deep sea fisheries are no longer viewed merely as an extension of marine fishing operations but as an integral component of India's maritime strategy, aligning with national priorities, including the Blue Economy, the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, the Prime Minister Matsya Sampada Yojana, and the Deep Ocean Mission. One of the Sustainable Development Goals, namely ‘Life Below Water’, aims to conserve and sustainably use the world's oceans, seas, and marine resources. Scientific resource assessment, responsible fishing practices, advanced technologies, and robust governance frameworks are therefore essential to harness these resources sustainably while safeguarding marine biodiversity and ecosystem integrity.
Despite possessing significant marine resources, however, India contributes only a modest share to global deep sea fisheries, a situation reflective of substantial underutilized opportunities for sustainable expansion through science-based management, technological advancement, and policy reforms.
The absence of a comprehensive and effectively implemented distant-water fishing policy over the past several years has resulted in significant economic, strategic, and diplomatic losses for the country. While coastal fish stocks continue to decline, artisanal fishers face increasing hardships, and Indian fishermen frequently risk detention for inadvertently crossing maritime boundaries. At the same time, India has been unable to capitalize on the enormous economic potential of valuable high-seas resources such as tuna and squid. Developed fishing nations, backed by substantial government support and modern distant-water fleets, continue to dominate international waters, while Indian entrepreneurs lack comparable policy support, infrastructure, and incentives to compete effectively.
The country lacks the technology and know-how to take full advantage of its deep sea fishery resources, which remain an elusive treasure. The EEZ remains largely underexploited. Tuna and other highly migratory species move rapidly across national jurisdictions and international waters. Their seasonal availability is limited, making timely access to fishing grounds essential. Sustainable exploitation of these resources requires efficient regulatory mechanisms, accurate scientific data, and prompt administrative approvals. Delays in implementing India's high-seas fishing policy not only result in the loss of valuable fishing opportunities but also weaken the country's ability to establish a meaningful presence in international fisheries governed by RFMOs. Among the various solutions put forward to sustain marine fish production in India, the development of mariculture, diversification into offshore fishing, and targeting deep sea resources have been prominent.
High-seas fishing, which refers to fishing beyond a country's 200-nautical-mile EEZ, is permitted under international law. Recognizing this opportunity, the Government of India published the draft ‘Guidelines for Regulation of Fishing by Indian-Flagged Fishing Vessels in the High Seas, 2022’, inviting comments from stakeholders and the public. After nearly three years of consultations, the Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, notified the guidelines on 9 December 2025.
However, as of 30 June 2026, the guidelines remain unimplemented, reportedly because the online application portal has not yet become operational.
India's deep sea fishing framework is governed by the Sustainable Harnessing of Fisheries in the EEZ Rules, 2025, which came into force on 20 February 2026 and rescinded all earlier guidelines. The framework is also guided by the National Policy on Marine Fisheries, 2017. The policy aims to sustainably harvest oceanic resources, upgrade traditional vessels for deep sea operations, and issue Access Passes for fishing vessels operating beyond 12 nautical miles. The National Policy on Marine Fisheries, 2019, states that "fishery resources from the near-shore areas are fully utilized" and expresses the Government's intent to harness resources in the deep sea and oceanic waters to increase catches. This is in tune with the global trend of a gradual shift in fishing activity deeper into the oceans despite concerns over sustainability, economic efficiency, and the viability of such expansion.
(The writer was formerly
Chief Secretary, Government of Andhra Pradesh)