— ✍️ Amal Chandra & Deeksha Tyagi

Every year on July 10, National Fish Farmers Day commemorates a scientific breakthrough that quietly transformed India's food economy. It marks the successful induced breeding of Indian major carps by Dr. Hiralal Chaudhuri and Dr. K. H. Alikunhi in 1957, an achievement that laid the foundations of modern aquaculture in the country. Six decades on, the occasion is no longer just about fisheries science but about whether India's growth in the sector is translating into a more secure and sustainable future for its fishing communities.

India today is the world's second-largest fish-producing nation, contributing around eight per cent of global fish production. Total fish production has more than doubled over the past decade, rising from 95.79 lakh tonnes in 2013-14 to 197.75 lakh tonnes in 2024-25. Seafood exports reached a record ₹62,408 crore in 2024-25, while fisheries now account for nearly 7.4 per cent of the agricultural Gross Value Added, the highest among agriculture and allied sectors. Reflecting the sector's growing strategic importance, the Union Budget 2026-27 earmarked the highest-ever allocation of ₹2,761.8 crore for fisheries, with the PM Matsya Sampada Yojana continuing as the flagship programme for infrastructure, production, value chains and welfare.

For decades, Indian fisheries remained overshadowed by agriculture despite supporting millions of livelihoods and supplying one of the most affordable sources of animal protein. The shift began with a conscious policy recognition that fisheries are not merely an allied activity but a strategic economic sector. Programmes such as the Blue Revolution, the Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund, the National Fisheries Digital Platform and the PM Matsya Kisan Samridhi Sah-Yojana have also modernised infrastructure, improved formal credit, encouraged entrepreneurship, strengthened traceability, promoted exports and reduced post-harvest losses. The result has been an expansion not only in inland aquaculture but also in processing capacity, cold chains, hatcheries, fish markets, and digital registration of fishers.

These initiatives fit within the larger vision of the Blue Economy, a concept that seeks to balance economic growth with sustainable use of marine resources. Unlike the traditional understanding of fisheries as an isolated livelihood sector, the new approach treats oceans as engines of national development. It encompasses fisheries, aquaculture, shipping, ports, marine biotechnology, offshore renewable energy, coastal tourism, and seabed resources. For India, with a coastline exceeding 11,000 kilometres and an Exclusive Economic Zone of nearly 2.4 million square kilometres, the sea is not just a geographical boundary but a strategic asset. In an era when global supply chains increasingly depend on secure maritime routes and resilient food systems, fisheries have become an integral part of economic diplomacy and maritime strategy.

Fisheries have also acquired a geopolitical dimension. The Indian Ocean carries most of India's trade and energy imports while emerging as a key arena of Indo-Pacific competition. China's expanding distant-water fishing fleet has heightened concerns over illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, even as climate-driven shifts in fish stocks, maritime disputes, and competition over marine resources reshape regional politics. India's Blue Economy vision complements its SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) doctrine by promoting maritime cooperation and sustainable resource governance. Fisheries are thus no longer solely about food security but also about economic resilience, strategic influence and regional stability.

There is another compelling reason why fisheries deserve greater national attention. Few sectors combine nutrition, employment, exports, and climate resilience as effectively. Fish is among the most efficient sources of high-quality protein, essential fatty acids, and micronutrients. As the global population approaches 9.7 billion by 2050, the Food and Agriculture Organization has repeatedly argued that aquatic food systems will play an increasingly important role in meeting nutritional demand with a comparatively lower environmental footprint than many terrestrial livestock systems. To accommodate this increase, the agriculture and allied sectors must increase global food production by an estimated 50 percent compared with 2012. India's expanding aquaculture industry therefore represents not only an economic opportunity but also a vital contribution to future food security.

Yet the celebratory narrative of record production and exports conceals a deeper contradiction. While the Blue Economy is flourishing on paper, many of the people who have sustained India's fisheries remain excluded from its gains. Nearly three crore Indians depend on fisheries for their livelihoods, including around 35 lakh marine fishers, most of whom belong to small-scale and traditional communities highly vulnerable to economic shocks and climate change. Mechanisation has transformed productivity but not equity. As mechanised vessels dominate marine landings, the contribution of traditional non-motorised craft has steadily declined to a staggering 1 percent, concentrating ownership of capital-intensive technology among relatively better-off operators and widening the divide between commercial fisheries and artisanal livelihoods. India's fisheries story is therefore no longer only about increasing production, but about ensuring that growth is shared more equitably.

For many traditional fishing households, the sea remains a source of uncertainty rather than security. High indebtedness, reliance on informal moneylenders, and limited financial resilience mean that poor fishing seasons, medical emergencies, or extreme weather can quickly push families deeper into debt, with the average outstanding debt per household being ₹37,693 according to a 2017 study, by researchers from ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Cochin. Indebtedness peaks at over ₹71,066 in the capital-intensive brackish water aquaculture sector. Although formal credit through Kisan Credit Cards and insurance coverage has expanded, access and timely compensation remain uneven. Left without adequate institutional safety nets, over 21 percent of marginalized fishers rely on private moneylenders who trap them in relentless debt cycles with exorbitant interest rates ranging from 36% to 60% per annum. As a result, about 66 percent of traditional fishers have no or negligible financial savings, leaving them highly vulnerable to poor catch seasons or medical emergencies. Out of the 0.89 million marine fisher families in India, an estimated 0.60 million families, about 67 percent, live below the Poverty Line (BPL).

At the same time, inadequate cold-chain infrastructure, fragmented logistics, and limited processing capacity lead to substantial post-harvest loss of 9.3 percent for marine fisheries and 8.84 percent for inland fisheries. With few storage facilities, small fishers are often forced into distress sales at low prices, leaving those who bear the greatest risks with the smallest share of the sector's economic rewards. The bulk of government financial support heavily favors the wealthy segments of the industry. Fuel, specifically diesel subsidies, accounted for 32 percent of the total estimated fisheries support, amounting to ₹736 crore. This directly subsidizes large mechanised trawlers while systematically ignoring non-motorised traditional fishers who rely on manual labor and wind propulsion.

The challenge is not merely economic but ecological. Marine ecosystems are under growing pressure from overfishing, habitat degradation, pollution and climate change, with scientific assessments warning that 36.3 percent of commercially important fish stocks in Indian waters are already overexploited and “overfished”. Fisheries policy must therefore balance higher productivity with the long-term sustainability of marine ecosystems. Climate change has intensified this challenge through more frequent cyclones, rising sea levels, coastal erosion, saline intrusion, and erratic weather. Storms such as Ockhi, Remal, Dana and Fengal have exposed the vulnerability of coastal communities, while warming seas are shifting fish stocks farther offshore, making fishing more dangerous, costly and unpredictable. Climate adaptation is therefore no longer peripheral but central to India's fisheries policy.

The answer is not to slow India's maritime ambitions but to make the Blue Economy more inclusive and sustainable. With one of the world's longest coastlines, a vast Exclusive Economic Zone, rich inland waters, a globally competitive aquaculture sector, and expanding port infrastructure under Sagarmala, India is well placed to emerge as a leading maritime economy. Its seafood exports span the United States, Europe, Japan, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East, while shrimp has become one of the country's most successful agricultural exports. As global food security concerns intensify, India's capacity to supply sustainable aquatic protein will become an increasingly valuable strategic asset. Beyond fisheries, the Blue Economy encompasses emerging sectors such as marine biotechnology, seaweed cultivation, offshore renewable energy, marine pharmaceuticals, ocean observation and ecosystem restoration. Through initiatives like the Deep Ocean Mission and the National Policy on Marine Fisheries, alongside innovations in mariculture, cage farming and integrated aquaculture, India is laying the foundations for new sources of employment and growth.

Yet technology alone cannot address structural inequities. Traditional fisherfolk, whose generations of ecological knowledge remain invaluable, must be recognised as partners in marine governance rather than passive welfare beneficiaries. This demands a holistic approach that combines investments in harbours, processing and exports with affordable institutional credit, stronger insurance and social security, quality housing, healthcare and education. Strengthening fishers’ organisations, expanding cold chains and modern logistics, and improving market access would reduce post-harvest losses while enhancing the bargaining power of small fishers. Conservation must also be more equitable through science-based regulation, seasonal closures, protection of breeding grounds, stricter action against illegal fishing and effective oversight of mechanised fleets, ensuring sustainability without disproportionately burdening artisanal communities. Equally vital is integrated governance that bridges fisheries, environment, commerce, shipping and coastal management, recognising that decisions on ports, tourism, pollution and climate adaptation are deeply interconnected.

This integrated approach is also a geopolitical imperative. As competition over marine resources intensifies across the Indo-Pacific, countries that combine maritime security with sustainable ocean governance will enjoy lasting strategic advantages. India's rise as a maritime power depends not only on naval strength and commercial shipping but also on managing marine resources responsibly, strengthening coastal livelihoods and reinforcing food security. Ultimately, the success of the Blue Economy will not be measured by production, exports or budgetary allocations alone, but by whether fishers—from Kollam and Veraval to Paradip, Kakinada and Nagapattinam—see greater opportunity, whether women in fisheries receive the recognition and support they deserve, and whether coastal communities become more resilient to climate change. National Fish Farmers Day should therefore remind us that the Blue Economy is not merely about extracting wealth from the oceans but about balancing economic ambition with ecological stewardship and social justice. Only then can India's maritime century become not just more productive, but genuinely inclusive.

About the Authors :

Amal Chandra is an Indian author, policy analyst, and columnist. His debut book, The Essential (2023), was launched by Dr. Shashi Tharoor along with Kerala’s current Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan, and it features a Foreword by India’s former External Affairs Minister Adv. Salman Khurshid. His research and commentary regularly appear in scholarly and popular publications. Follow @ens_socialis.

Deeksha Tyagi is a researcher, political consultant, and a Don Lavoie Fellow, at Mercatus Centre, George Mason University, USA. She is also affiliated as Research Associate with the Sri Aurobindo Centre for Advanced Research, Pondicherry. She has written on several platforms on nationalism, heritage, and political thought. Follow @deekshatyagii.