India has released a national report assessing deep-sea and distant-water fishery resources to support sustainable ocean development and strengthen the Blue Economy.

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• The Centre for Marine Living Resources and Ecology released the report during its Silver Jubilee celebrations, covering India’s vast 2.37 million square kilometre Exclusive Economic Zone.
• The report combines nearly four decades of oceanographic research with three decades of systematic marine surveys conducted across India’s Exclusive Economic Zone.
• More than 400 oceanographic cruises since the early 1990s contributed scientific data, with major research conducted aboard the research vessel FORV Sagar Sampada.
• The assessment covers mesopelagic waters between 200 and 1,000 metres, including lanternfishes, deep-sea shrimps and cephalopods that support marine ecosystems.
• Researchers assessed demersal resources beyond 200 metres, including deep-sea shrimps, perches, scombroids, flatfishes and eels along India’s continental slope.
• The report also documents distant-water species including tunas, billfishes, sharks, oceanic squids and Antarctic krill, highlighting their importance for marine resource management.
• Ecologically important areas identified include Kollam Bank, Angria Bank, the Mangaluru deep-sea slope, Thiruvananthapuram terrace and waters surrounding Lakshadweep.
• Advanced technologies including fisheries acoustics, environmental DNA, satellite observations, artificial intelligence and ecosystem modelling will support future marine planning and conservation.