Vice President to launch ornamental fisheries plan in Lakshadweep tomorrow

Vice President C P Radhakrishnan will release a strategic action plan for the ornamental fisheries sector on Monday, as the government pushes to expand fish farming and exports from the Lakshadweep islands.

The plan, called 'Mission Rangeen Machhli 2031', will set uniform rules for breeding, biosecurity, quality control and trade across India's ornamental fish industry, the fisheries ministry said in a statement.

The launch event in Agatti will be attended by Fisheries Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh, junior minister S P Singh Baghel, and Lakshadweep administrator Praful Khoda Patel, along with fish farmers, fishers and government officials.

India has a coastline of about 11,099 km, an exclusive economic zone of roughly 2.4 million sq km, with marine fisheries potential estimated at 5.86 million tonne, the ministry said. The sector supports about 5 million fishers and generated seafood exports worth ₹73,890 crore in the fiscal year that ended in March.

Lakshadweep, a Union territory in the Arabian Sea, has an exclusive economic zone of nearly 400,000 sq km, or about 17 per cent of India's total, and has been designated a seaweed cluster under the government's broader fisheries development strategy.

According to the ministry, the islands, known for tuna species, including yellowfin and skipjack, also hold strong potential for ornamental fish exports and mariculture.

Most Indian fishing activity is currently concentrated within 40-50 nautical miles of the coast. The government last year issued guidelines allowing Indian-flagged vessels to fish in high-seas waters beyond national jurisdiction, targeting high-value species such as tuna.