Requesting the Fisheries Ministry to reconsider its decision to allow companies to operate deep sea fishing beyond India’s sovereign waters, All India Deep Sea Fishers Association has urged to prioritise long-term stability of the sector and the welfare of fishers.
Charles George, president of the association requested the government to revitalize small-scale and traditional fisheries through modernisation, cooperative strengthening and fair subsidies. The government should reject the push for industrial deep-sea vessels, which will only worsen ecological and economic crises.
The Government, according to him, is moving in the direction to permit large vessels owned by Indian companies to operate in deep-sea areas beyond India’s sovereign maritime zone. While this privilege is reserved for Indian entities, he said the move raises significant concerns. “Our consistent stand has been to advocate for the comprehensive strengthening, modernisation and cooperativisation of small-scale traditional fishing vessels,” he said.
Quoting government data, he said 3,14,677 fishing vessels currently operate within India’s Exclusive Economic Zone. However, sustainable fishing practices require only 93,287 vessels – which mean the vessels are operating at three times the sustainable limit.
The authority’s argument is that allowing large vessels will enable deep-sea fishing to tap the hitherto untapped resources. However, only 4 per cent of India’s fish wealth lies in deep waters. Catching these scattered resources requires massive fuel expenditure, making it economically unviable, he added.
India is classified as a developed nation at the WTO, but in fisheries, the country represents a low-income, food-deficient country. It is pointed out that 67.3 per cent of Indian fishers live below the poverty line, supporting 4 million active fishers and 40 million coastal families. Yet the government provide only $15 per fisher in subsidies, compared to: China ($7.3 billion) EU ($3.8 billion) and USA ($3.4 billion).
Globally, $36.4 billion is spent annually on fisheries subsidies, of which $22.5 billion goes to vessel subsidies and modernisation, the very subsidies destroying global fish stocks, he said.
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Published on August 28, 2025