Blue Revolution: Fisheries and Aquaculture in India

Timeline

• 2015-16: the government launches the Neel Kranti Mission, with a ₹3,000 crore outlay over five years, to modernise fisheries.
• 5 February 2019: the Department of Fisheries is carved out as its own department, separated from the erstwhile Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries department.
• 31 May 2019: the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying is formed.
• 10 September 2020: the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) launches, the sector’s flagship scheme, with a ₹20,050 crore outlay.
• FY 2024-25: fish production reaches 197.75 lakh tonnes, making India the world’s second-largest producer.

What the Blue Revolution is

• The Blue Revolution is the growth of India’s fisheries and aquaculture sector.
• It is one of several colour-named revolutions covered in India’s Agricultural Revolutions.

PMMSY: the flagship scheme

• PMMSY was announced in the 2019-20 Union Budget and launched on 10 September 2020.
• It aims to double fishers’ and fish farmers’ incomes.
• It aims to cut post-harvest losses from 20-25% down to 10%.
• It aims to generate 55 lakh direct and indirect jobs.
• It was planned for FY 2020-21 to FY 2024-25, and has since been extended through FY 2025-26.

Centre and states

• Fisheries is a State subject.
• Inland fisheries are managed entirely by state governments.
• Marine fisheries are shared between the Centre and coastal states and UTs.
• The Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF) was set up in FY 2018-19 with a ₹7,522.48 crore corpus.
• It offers concessional finance for fisheries infrastructure, including an interest subvention of up to 3% a year.

Technology and numbers

• Under PMMSY’s technology-infusion component, the Department of Fisheries promotes Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS).
• These raise fish indoors in tanks, reusing over 90% of the water.
• Over four years, 11,995 RAS units were approved across 31 states, at ₹887.85 crore.
• Read more in Recirculating Aquaculture Systems and Biofilters.
• India is the world’s second-largest fish producer, at about 8% of global output.
• It also ranks second in aquaculture and capture fisheries, and leads the world in shrimp production and export.

Draft policies and real concerns

• A draft National Fisheries Policy, released in 2020, takes an ecosystem approach: sustainable harvesting, habitat protection and participatory governance.
• A draft Blue Economy Policy Framework, also from 2020, aims to grow the Blue Economy’s GDP contribution.
• Its nodal ministry is Earth Sciences.
• It proposes a National Blue Economy Council to bring fisheries and other marine schemes under one oversight body.
• Growth has raised real environmental concerns.
• Unsustainable aquaculture practices and coastal ecosystem damage are common criticisms.

Where fish actually comes from

• India has eight major fish-producing states: Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.
• Andhra Pradesh was the single largest producer in 2024, followed by West Bengal, Gujarat and Kerala.
• Inland fisheries grew 140% over the past decade, reaching 147.37 lakh tonnes in FY 2024-25.
• Inland fisheries now account for more than 75% of India’s total fish output.

Related reading

• Andhra Pradesh, the largest fish-producing state.
• Gujarat
• Karnataka
• Kerala
• Maharashtra
• Odisha
• The Rainbow Revolution
• The White Revolution

First national deep-sea fishery report (20 August 2026)

• CMLRE released India’s first National Report on Deep-Sea and Distant-Water Fishery Resources of the Indian EEZ.
• The release marked the Centre’s Silver Jubilee.
• The report compiles nearly four decades of research and over 400 cruises by FORV Sagar Sampada across India’s 2.37 million sq km EEZ.
• It maps the mesopelagic twilight zone (200-1,000 m, lanternfishes and deep-sea shrimps) and distant-water species like tunas, billfishes and Antarctic krill.
• It is meant to guide India’s Blue Economy under Vision 2047 and its SDG 14 commitments. (Source: PIB.)

Six years of PMMSY: the headline numbers

• On 28 July 2026, a NITI Aayog evaluation recommended PMMSY’s continuation. The scheme has been extended to September 2026 in its current form.
• Fish production rose from 141.64 lakh tonnes (2019-20) to 197.75 lakh tonnes (2024-25).
• PMMSY has created 58 lakh direct and indirect jobs. (Source: PIB.)
• Over the last three years, proposals worth ₹6,885.18 crore have been approved. (Source: PIB.)
• Fisheries exports rose from ₹46,663 crore (2019-20) to ₹73,890 crore (2025-26), a 58% rise. (Source: PIB.)
• Seafood exports hit a record $8.45 billion in FY 2025-26, across 670 approved processing units.
• Value-added products made up just 10% of exports. The government wants 25% by 2030. (Source: PIB.)

Deep-sea fishing gets a push

• On 9 July 2026, Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan launched the Letter of Authorisation (LoA) framework for high-seas fishing, in Bhubaneswar, alongside Odisha’s 2026-2036 Deep Sea Fishing Mission. (Source: PIB.)
• The LoA fee was cut from ₹25,000 to ₹5,000 to boost cooperative participation. (Source: PIB.)

Safety, sustainability and clusters

• ISRO built a ₹364 crore Vessel Communication and Support System (VCSS).
• It equips 1 lakh marine fishing vessels with free transponders and a “Nabhmitra” safety app. (Source: PIB.)
• ICAR-CMFRI found 91.1% of India’s 135 assessed marine fish stocks are sustainable, monitored across over 1,300 landing centres. (Source: PIB.)
• Odisha’s Balasore district, after 12 years of Blue Revolution and PMMSY funding, is declared India’s Production and Processing Cluster for scampi. (Source: PIB.)
• Four coldwater fisheries clusters are notified: Anantnag (J&K), Pithoragarh (Uttarakhand), Kargil (Ladakh) and Kullu (Himachal Pradesh). They target Rainbow Trout, Golden Mahseer and Snow Trout. (Source: PIB.)
• The Union Budget 2026-27 announced integrated development of 500 reservoirs and Amrit Sarovars. So far 351 reservoirs and 100 Amrit Sarovars are selected. (Source: PIB.)