India has officially launched its Letter of Authorisation (LoA) regime for sustainable high-seas fishing on 9 July 2026 at Bhubaneswar, marking the first time the country has rolled out a formal, nationwide permit system for fishermen to fish in waters beyond the Exclusive Economic Zone. Vice President C P Radhakrishnan launched the national programme in the presence of Odisha Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Union ministers Rajiv Ranjan Singh, Dharmendra Pradhan and S P Singh Baghel. The LoA is a mandatory, vessel-specific and non-transferable permit that allows Indian-flagged fishing vessels to undertake fishing or fishing-related activities in the high seas, issued under the 2025 High Seas Fisheries Guidelines through a fully online process linked to the ReALCraft portal. As per the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, the LoA is designed as a transparent and accountable framework that facilitates ease of compliance for fishermen and vessel operators while ensuring orderly, traceable and monitored operations.
India currently ranks as the world's second-largest fish-producing country, accounting for nearly 8% of global fish production. As reported by PIB, the fisheries sector supports the livelihoods of nearly three crore fishermen and fish farmers across the country, while seafood exports reached a record ₹73,891 crore in 2025-26. The Vice President noted that despite India possessing more than 11,000 km of coastline and an EEZ covering nearly 24 lakh sq km, a significant portion remains underutilized due to traditional fishing activities being confined to coastal waters within 40 to 50 nautical miles. The first tranche of LoAs was distributed to ten Fish Farmer Producer Organisations (FFPOs), fisheries cooperatives and vessel owners from across India, including National Cooperative Exports Limited (NCEL) and societies from Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Odisha.
Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh announced that the government has invested more than ₹39,000 crore in the fisheries sector through various flagship schemes, resulting in more than 100% growth in fish production and record seafood exports in 2025-26 despite global trade challenges. According to PIB, the fish catch by Indian vessels in the EEZ and high seas has been made duty-free, with foreign port landings treated as exports, creating new opportunities for sector growth. The minister called upon all stakeholders to work collectively towards strengthening India's Blue Economy, with the initiative representing a decisive move in India's Blue Economy strategy.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced the Odisha Deep Sea Fishing Mission (2026-2036) with an outlay of ₹2,295.45 crore. As reported by PIB, the 10-year flagship initiative aims to transition the state from near-shore fishing to a modern, technology-driven marine export hub. The mission invests in modern fishing infrastructure, value chains, scientific fisheries management and market linkages to make Odisha a leading deep-sea fishing and seafood export hub. The state has launched modern fisheries infrastructure including wholesale fish markets and an aquapark to support value addition and seafood exports. The mission will deploy 150 new advanced deep-sea fishing vessels and modernize 500 existing vessels over the next decade, with modern fish landing centres, wholesale markets and aqua parks being developed at locations such as Paradip, Dhamra, Gopalpur, Chandipur and Astaranga.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressed happiness over the national launch of the Letter of Authorisation (LoA) in Odisha for sustainable harnessing of fisheries in the high seas. He noted that an 'Access Pass' system was launched from Veraval in Gujarat in December last year for fishing within India's exclusive economic zone (EEZ), with 5,000 fishers across the country receiving these passes, including 866 from Odisha. As the next step, eight fishers from Odisha were given LoAs, and two deep-sea fishing vessels were issued go-ahead approvals under the Chief Minister's Agriculture Enterprise Scheme. The system is being managed through a ReALCraft portal in a fully online and transparent manner, with the mission expected to boost fish output and double fishers' incomes through investments in modern fisheries infrastructure, value chains, scientific fishery management and market linkages.
