India has introduced the Letter of Authorisation (LoA) Regime for high-seas fishing to promote sustainable marine resource utilisation, increase fishermen’s income, and strengthen the country’s seafood exports and Blue Economy.

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• India has launched the Letter of Authorisation (LoA) Regime to enable Indian fishing vessels to undertake sustainable high-seas fishing operations within the Exclusive Economic Zone and beyond.
• The initiative aims to promote responsible deep-sea fishing, reduce pressure on overexploited coastal fisheries, improve fishermen’s livelihoods, and expand India’s presence in global seafood markets.
• India possesses a coastline of over 11,000 kilometres and an Exclusive Economic Zone covering nearly 24 lakh square kilometres, offering significant untapped deep-sea fishing potential.
• The simplified and transparent LoA framework will support fishermen, fishing cooperatives, and Fish Farmer Producer Organisations by providing easier access to high-value marine resources.
• The programme seeks to increase sustainable harvesting of premium fish species, strengthen marine resource management, generate employment, and diversify India’s fisheries sector.
• India is currently the second-largest fish producer globally, contributing nearly 8 percent of global fish production while supporting the livelihoods of around 30 million fishermen and fish farmers.
• India’s seafood exports reached approximately ₹73,000 crore during the previous financial year, and the new policy is expected to further enhance export competitiveness and value-added marine products.
• During the launch, the Odisha Deep Sea Fishing Mission 2026–2036 was also announced with an investment of ₹2,295.45 crore to develop deep-sea fishing infrastructure, modern fish markets, aquaparks, and export-oriented fisheries.