- Why in news
- On 17 March 2026 the Fisheries Minister gave the Lok Sabha an update on PMMSY: outlay, approvals, fisher insurance, Kisan Credit Cards and fish production data for 2023-24.
- What it is
- Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) is the flagship scheme of the Department of Fisheries for fisheries and aquaculture development. It runs from 2020-21 and funds harbours, cold chains, insurance and climate-resilient fishing villages.
- Outlay and start
- PMMSY began in 2020-21 with an outlay of Rs 20,750 crore.
- Fish production
- India's fish production reached 183.93 lakh tonnes in 2023-24, with inland fisheries giving 75.57 percent.
- Kisan Credit Card for fishers
- The KCC facility was extended to fishers and fish farmers in 2018-19 for working capital.
- Climate Resilient Coastal Fishermen Villages
- The CRCFV programme builds fisheries infrastructure and promotes seaweed cultivation, artificial reefs and green fuel. Turtle Excluder Devices are a PMMSY component.
- Seafood exports
- Seafood exports rose from Rs 30,213 crore in 2013-14 to Rs 62,408 crore in 2024-25.
- Potential yield of EEZ
- An Expert Committee estimated India's EEZ potential yield at 53.1 lakh tons.
- Training nodal agency
- NFDB is the nodal agency for the PMMSY training component, working with CIFNET.
- PMMSY start
- PMMSY has been implemented from 2020-21 and includes support for acquiring deep-sea vessels for traditional fishermen.
- EEZ extent
- India's EEZ extends up to 200 nautical miles from the baseline.
- Legal basis
- The Sustainable Harnessing of Fisheries in the EEZ Rules, 2025 were notified on 4 November 2025 under the Territorial Waters, Continental Shelf, EEZ and Other Maritime Zones Act, 1976.
- How it is issued
- The pass is free and issued online via the ReALCRaft portal, built by NIC and the Department of Fisheries.
- Export link
- ReALCRaft is integrated with MPEDA for catch certificates and with the Export Inspection Council for health certificates.
- Sea safety
- One lakh free transponders are being fitted on fishing vessels; over 50,000 are installed.
- Access Pass
- A completely online, free-of-cost pass for authorised Indian vessels to fish in the EEZ, launched at Veraval, Gujarat.
- EEZ Rules 2025
- The 'Sustainable Harnessing of Fisheries in the EEZ, 2025' Rules were notified on 4 November 2025, in line with the Budget 2025-26 announcement.
- Foreign vessels
- The Rules strictly prohibit entry of foreign fishing vessels into the Indian EEZ.
- Fishing Harbour Cluster
- Veraval has been designated a 'Fishing Harbour Cluster' under PMMSY.
- Duty-free catch
- Fish catch by any Indian vessel in the EEZ/high seas is duty-free as per Budget 2026.
- VCSS rollout
- The National Rollout Plan for VCSS covers one lakh mechanized and motorized marine fishing vessels in all 13 coastal states and UTs, with an outlay of Rs 364 crore.
- ISRO role
- VCSS is implemented with technical support from ISRO.
- What VCSS does
- It is a satellite-based two-way communication system giving weather alerts, No Fishing Zone alerts and IMBL geo-fencing, and it integrates with the Nabhmitra App.
- Progress
- More than 49,000 transponders have been installed so far.
- Banned methods in EEZ
- Bull trawling, pair trawling and artificial or LED lights for fishing are prohibited in the Indian EEZ. Purse seine fishing is not prohibited in the EEZ beyond territorial waters, on an Expert Committee's recommendation.
- Enforcement
- States and UTs enforce fishing rules under their Marine Fisheries Regulation Acts, including seizure, penalties and prosecution.
Don’t confuse with PMMSY vs Blue Revolution: The Blue Revolution scheme preceded PMMSY, which is the current flagship scheme from 2020-21.
Don’t confuse with Blue Revolution vs PMMSY: Blue Revolution was the earlier Centrally Sponsored Scheme; PMMSY (from 2020-21) is the later flagship Central sector scheme.
Don’t confuse with EEZ vs territorial sea: Territorial sea reaches 12 nautical miles with full sovereignty; EEZ reaches 200 nautical miles with sovereign rights over resources.
Don’t confuse with Territorial waters vs EEZ: Territorial waters extend up to 12 nautical miles; the EEZ lies from 12 to 200 nautical miles, where India has sovereign rights over resources.
Don’t confuse with ReALCRaft vs Access Pass: ReALCRaft is the online registration and licensing portal; the Access Pass is the permit for EEZ fishing issued through it.
Don’t confuse with EEZ vs territorial waters: Territorial waters extend 12 nautical miles with full sovereignty; the EEZ extends to 200 nautical miles with sovereign rights over resources.
Schemes: 52 Prelims questions since 2013, 10 in Prelims 2026 alone. They test features, the period and who funds it. In Mains, 33 news-triggered questions, mostly GS3.
Why it matters
- Supports livelihoods of over 2.8 crore fishers and fish farmers.
- Raises exports and value addition through post-harvest and cold-chain infrastructure.
- Access passes bring larger vessels into a regulated system, helping track and manage EEZ fishing.
- Deep-sea support shifts traditional fishers toward under-used EEZ resources.
- Taps under-used EEZ resources such as tuna, raising fishers' incomes and seafood exports.
- Gives a legal and traceable framework that supports conservation and compliance with international obligations.
- Routes access through cooperatives and FFPOs, so small fishers gain from deep-sea fishing.
- Opens under-used deep-sea resources such as tuna and raises fisher incomes.
- Digital passes improve traceability and protect the EEZ from foreign vessels.
- Transponders improve safety of fishers at sea and help stop accidental crossing of the IMBL.
Problems
- Approved central share (Rs 9,189.79 crore) is well below the full outlay, and funds released lag approvals in many states.
- Inland output dominates, leaving marine fisheries and coastal communities exposed to climate risk.
- Actual EEZ catch is small against the 53.1 lakh tonne potential yield, and vessel costs are high.
- Traditional fishers need skills and capital for deep-sea operations.
- Deep-sea vessels, skills and capital are costly for small fishers, who may be crowded out by large operators.
- Monitoring and enforcement across a vast EEZ is hard, with risks of overfishing and maritime boundary incidents.
- Small fishers lack deep-sea vessels, capital and skills.
- Overfishing and monitoring of far-off vessels are difficult.
- Enforcement lies with states and rules differ across territorial waters, so harmful methods persist.
- Small fishers may find it hard to maintain and use the devices.
Way forward
- Speed up release of funds and project completion.
- Expand insurance and credit coverage and climate-resilient livelihoods for coastal fishers.
- Expand training and subsidised finance for deep-sea vessels.
- Enforce monitoring of access passes while protecting fish stocks.
- Expand training through CIFNET and FSI and finance cooperative-owned deep-sea vessels, including under PMMSY.
- Strengthen vessel tracking, stock assessment and catch limits to keep harvesting sustainable.
- Organise fishers into cooperatives and FFPOs and support vessel upgrades.
- Expand training, transponder tracking and sustainable catch limits.
- Harmonise state Marine Fisheries Regulation Acts and coordinate Coast Guard and state patrols.
- Use transponder data for monitoring and stock management.
Put in your answer
Fish production: 183.93 lakh tonnes in 2023-24, 75.57% inland.
Seafood exports: Exports doubled from Rs 30,213 crore to Rs 62,408 crore between 2013-14 and 2024-25; value-added share rose from 2% to 11%.
EEZ potential yield: The Expert Committee put India's EEZ potential yield at 53.1 lakh tons.
Access passes issued: 707 access passes had been issued by 5 March 2026.
Fisher welfare data: Accident insurance cover is raised to ₹5 lakh, benefiting over 33 lakh fishers.
EEZ size: India's EEZ spans nearly 24 lakh sq km but is under-utilised.
Safety measures: Transponders for real-time tracking and PFZ advisories are cited as safety systems.
Banned practices: Bull trawling, pair trawling and LED-light fishing are prohibited in the EEZ.
- 2018Mains GS1 · Q15Define blue revolution; explain pisciculture problems and strategies
- 2026Mains GS2 · Q9Critically assess IPMDA as bridging India's SAGAR vision and Quad strategy.
- 2022Mains GS3 · Q10Discuss India's maritime security challenges and initiatives to improve maritime security.
- 2025Mains GS3 · Q20Why maritime security protects sea trade; discuss challenges and way forward.
- 2016Mains GS3 · Q10Need for crop insurance and salient features of PMFBY for vulnerable agriculture
- 2022Prelims Q85UNCLOS provisions on territorial sea, innocent passage, and EEZ limits
- 2005Prelims Q46Matching distinguished persons with areas, including John Kurien's fisheries economy
- 2026Prelims Q38FAO's "Four Betters" combinations for Blue Transformation
UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
Prelims practice · Statements
Ours, not from a UPSC paper
Consider the following statements:
- 1.The Sustainable Harnessing of Fisheries in the Exclusive Economic Zone Rules, 2025 were notified under the Territorial Waters, Continental Shelf, Exclusive Economic Zone and Other Maritime Zones Act, 1976.
- 2.Under these Rules, access passes are required only for fishing vessels of 24 metres and above in length.
- 3.In the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana, the National Fisheries Development Board is the nodal agency for the training component.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
True or false?
1 of 23
Statements the way Prelims prints them. Say first, then see the fact.
1.The Sustainable Harnessing of Fisheries in the EEZ Rules, 2025 were notified under the Territorial Waters, Continental Shelf, Exclusive Economic Zone and Other Maritime Zones Act, 1976.
True. The rules were notified under the 1976 Maritime Zones Act.
2.The National Fisheries Development Board is the nodal agency for the training component of PMMSY.
True. NFDB implements the training component.
3.PMMSY has been implemented since 2020-21.
True. PMMSY began in the financial year 2020-21.
4.Access passes for EEZ fishing are applied for on the ReALCraft portal.
True. Applications are received on the online ReALCraft portal.
5.India's Exclusive Economic Zone extends up to 12 nautical miles from the baseline.
False. The EEZ extends up to 200 nautical miles; 12 nautical miles is the territorial sea.
6.The Access Pass for fishing in the EEZ is issued free of cost through the ReALCRaft portal.
True. The pass is zero-fee and fully online.
7.Traditional non-motorised fishing crafts are exempt from the Access Pass requirement.
True. Only mechanised and large motorised vessels need it, protecting artisanal fishers.
8.The EEZ of India extends from the coastline up to 200 nautical miles.
False. The EEZ extends from 12 to 200 nautical miles; the first 12 nautical miles are territorial waters.
9.The ReALCRaft portal is integrated with MPEDA and the Export Inspection Council for export-related certificates.
True. MPEDA handles catch certificates and EIC health certificates.
10.Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep together account for about 49% of India's EEZ.
True. They hold 49% of the EEZ.
11.PMMSY is a scheme of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
False. PMMSY is implemented by the Department of Fisheries, under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
12.The Access Pass for fishing in India's EEZ is issued through an online portal free of cost.
True. The pass is fully online and free of cost.
13.The Sustainable Harnessing of Fisheries in the EEZ Rules were notified in November 2025.
True. They were notified on 4 November 2025.
14.Veraval has been designated a Fishing Harbour Cluster under PMMSY.
True. Veraval is a Fishing Harbour Cluster under PMMSY.
15.PMMSY was launched in 2020-21 and is implemented by the Department of Fisheries.
True. PMMSY runs from 2020-21 under the Department of Fisheries.
16.India's Exclusive Economic Zone extends up to 200 nautical miles from the baseline.
True. Under UNCLOS, an EEZ extends up to 200 nautical miles from the baseline.
17.The Vessel Communication and Support System is being implemented with technical support from ISRO.
True. ISRO provides technical support for VCSS.
18.The VCSS project is planned to cover one lakh marine fishing vessels in all coastal states and UTs.
True. Target is one lakh vessels across all 13 coastal states and UTs.
19.VCSS is a one-way broadcast system that only sends weather alerts to fishers.
False. It is a satellite-based two-way communication system that also gives No Fishing Zone and IMBL alerts.
20.Purse seine fishing is prohibited in the Indian EEZ beyond territorial waters.
False. It is not prohibited there, on the Expert Committee's recommendation; some states ban it in territorial waters.
21.Enforcement against prohibited fishing is primarily done by State/UT governments under their Marine Fisheries Regulation Acts.
True. States/UTs enforce under their MFRAs.
22.The Coast Guard and State Fisheries Departments conduct regular joint patrols to enforce fishing rules.
False. No joint patrolling is conducted; the Coast Guard reports violations to state authorities.
23.The Indian Exclusive Economic Zone extends up to 200 nautical miles from the baseline.
True. Under UNCLOS and India's 1976 Act, the EEZ extends 200 nautical miles.
Written by us from the release, not by UPSC; checked by a second model.
Mains practice
15 marks · 250 words
The Union Government has launched an Access Pass for fishing in India's Exclusive Economic Zone under the EEZ Fisheries Rules, 2025. Examine the provisions of these Rules and the Access Pass. Discuss the challenges in shifting Indian fishers from near-shore to deep-sea fishing and suggest a way forward.
Worth revising until Prelims 2027: most news questions come within two years of the event.