Rules for Sustainable Harnessing of Fisheries in the Exclusive Economic Zone

• 11 Nov 2025

Source: PIB 

Why in News? 

India has notified the Rules for Sustainable Harnessing of Fisheries in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). This major step supports India’s Blue Economy vision and fulfills the Union Budget 2025–26 announcement to build a sustainable deep-sea fisheries framework. 

• The EEZ Rules aim to unlock India’s underused deep-sea resources, especially tuna. So far, fleets from Sri Lanka, Maldives, Indonesia, and Iran have taken most of tuna catch in the Indian Ocean, while Indian boats are limited to the nearshore waters.

What are the Rules for Sustainable Harnessing of Fisheries in the EEZ? 

• Empowering Cooperatives and Community-Led Models: The rules prioritise Fishermen Cooperative Societies and Fish Farmer Producer Organisations (FFPOs) to conduct deep-sea fishing and manage modern vessels.  
  • They also encourage the mother–child vessel model to enable mid-sea trans-shipment under Reserve Bank of India monitored procedures.  
  • The Budget 2025–26 noted India’s position as the world’s second-largest fish and aquaculture producer with seafood exports of about Rs 60,000 crore. 
    • Prioritising cooperatives, value addition, and stronger traceability and certification is expected to further boost high-value exports. 
• Promoting Sustainable Fishing and Mariculture: The rules prohibit harmful practices such as LED-light fishing, pair trawling, and bull trawling.  
  • They set minimum legal size limits for fish and mandate Fisheries Management Plans with states to protect biodiversity and rebuild declining stocks. 
  • The rules promote mariculture activities like sea-cage farming and seaweed cultivation to provide alternative livelihoods and reduce nearshore fishing pressure. 
• Digital Access Pass Mechanism: Under the EEZ Rules, an Access Pass is required for mechanized and large-sized motorized vessels, which can be obtained free of cost through the online ReALCRaft portal. 
  • Traditional and small-scale fishers using motorised or non-motorised craft are exempt.  Foreign vessels are barred from obtaining passes. 
• Regulatory Reforms: Fish caught beyond the contiguous zone (a maritime area extending up to 24 nautical miles from the baseline beyond the territorial sea) in the Indian EEZ is treated as Indian origin under customs and revenue norms.  
  • This prevents such catches from being classified as imports when landed in Indian ports and enables smoother export accounting.  
• Security Measures: The rules improve safety and security through mandatory transponders and QR Coded Aadhaar Card / Fishers ID Card. 
  • ReALCRaft is integrated with the Nabhmitra app for safe navigation and transponder use, helping the Coast Guard and Navy strengthen coastal security. 
  • To safeguard small-scale fishers, the rules call for a National Plan of Action to curb illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the EEZ.

ReALCRaft Portal 

• It is a national online platform of the Department of Fisheries that enables vessel registration, licensing, ownership transfer, and related services, improving ease of doing business for fishers and coastal States/UTs. 
  • As of November 2025, about 2.38 lakh vessels are registered on the portal. 
• ReALCRaft is being integrated with Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) and the Export Inspection Council (EIC) to issue catch and health certificates, enabling traceability, sanitary compliance, and eco-labelling for high-value seafood exports. 

What is the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)? 

• About: An “EEZ” is an area of the ocean, generally extending 200 nautical miles (230 miles) beyond a nation’s territorial sea, within which a coastal nation has jurisdiction over both living and nonliving resources. 
  • The EEZ, adopted under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), grants a coastal state sovereign rights to explore, exploit, conserve, and manage natural resources up to 200 nautical miles from its coast.  
    • It also provides jurisdiction over artificial structures, marine research, and environmental protection. 
• India and EEZ: India has an EEZ of over 23 lakh sq km, one of the largest in the world, extending up to 200 nautical miles from its coastline of about 11,099 km. 
  • This vast marine space supports the livelihoods of more than 50 lakh fishers across 13 coastal States and UTs, contributes significantly to seafood exports, and underpins the country’s Blue Economy.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 

1. What is India’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)? 
The EEZ extends up to 200 nautical miles under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982), granting the coastal state sovereign rights over exploration, conservation and management of living and non-living resources 

2. What are the core features of the new Exclusive Economic Zone Rules? 
They prioritise Fishermen Cooperative Societies and Fish Farmer Producer Organisations, prohibit harmful practices such as LED-light fishing, pair trawling, and introduce a digital Access Pass through the ReALCRaft portal. 

3. What is ReALCRaft Portal? 
It is a national online platform of the Department of Fisheries that enables vessel registration, licensing, ownership transfer, and related services, improving ease of doing business for fishers and coastal States/UTs. 

UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year Questions (PYQs) 

Prelims

Q. With reference to the United Nations Convention on the Law of Sea, consider the following statements: (2022)

1. A coastal state has the right to establish the breadth of its territorial sea up to a limit not exceeding 12 nautical miles, measured from baseline determined in accordance with the convention.
2. Ships of all states, whether coastal or land-locked, enjoy the right of innocent passage through the territorial sea.
3. The Exclusive Economic Zone shall not extend beyond 200 nautical miles from the baseline from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured.

Which of the statements given above are correct? 

(a) 1 and 2 only 

(b) 2 and 3 only 

(c) 1 and 3 only 

(d) 1, 2 and 3 

Ans: D