-Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh and Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel to attend

-Fishermen, officials and sector experts to gather in Gandhinagar

New Delhi, September 16 (HS): The Department of Fisheries, Government of India, will organise a one-day national workshop in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, on Thursday to promote deep-sea fishing and facilitate dialogue with ‘Access Pass’ and Letter of Authorisation (LoA) holders. The workshop aims to encourage traditional and local fishermen to tap high-value marine resources, understand challenges at the grassroots level and gather stakeholder suggestions for strengthening the sector.

Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying and Panchayati Raj Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Lalan Singh), Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Union Minister of State for Fisheries Prof. S.P. Singh Baghel will attend the workshop. Fishermen from across the country, including women fishers, officials from the Centre, coastal states and Union Territories, as well as representatives from various institutions, including ICAR, CIFNET, NABARD, NCEL, NCDC, CIFT and MPEDA, will participate in the event.

According to the Ministry, the workshop will feature technical sessions covering various aspects of the entire deep-sea fisheries value chain. These will include the potential of marine resources, the use of modern fishing vessels, skill development, institutional financing, processing and value addition, and access to export markets. Experts will also deliberate on the adoption of modern technology in India's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and deep-sea areas, capacity building for fishermen and promoting investment through cooperative models.

At present, most of the country's fishing activities are concentrated within a range of 40-50 nautical miles from the coast, while deep-sea areas offer considerable potential for harvesting high-value species such as tuna. India has a coastline of approximately 11,099 kilometres and an Exclusive Economic Zone spanning around 2.4 million square kilometres. The country's marine fisheries resources in this area are estimated at approximately 5.86 million metric tonnes, supporting the livelihoods of around five million fishermen.

According to the Central government, India exported marine products worth approximately Rs. 73,890 crore during the financial year 2025-26. The expansion of deep-sea fishing is being viewed in the broader context of the country's blue economy and its potential to increase the incomes of fishermen.

It is noteworthy that the Central government has notified the ‘Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) Rules, 2025’ and the ‘High Seas Guidelines, 2025’. Under these provisions, free digital ‘Access Passes’ are issued through the ReALCRaft portal for fishing activities between 12 and 200 nautical miles from the coast. According to the Ministry, a total of 9,650 Access Passes have so far been issued on the basis of applications received from coastal states and Union Territories.

The Access Pass is mandatory for mechanised vessels measuring more than 24 metres in length, while smaller and non-mechanised traditional vessels have been completely exempted from the requirement with the objective of safeguarding local livelihoods.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar