The reform seeks to release underutilized deep-sea resources such as tuna, while aligning India’s seafood exports with global traceability and sustainability standards.
Mint explains how the Access Pass framework could help India tap high-value marine species and expand its presence in premium global markets.
Why is India’s exclusive economic zone crucial?
India’s maritime geography gives it a huge untapped marine potential. With a coastline of approximately 11,099 kilometers and an exclusive economic zone of nearly 24 thousand square kilometers, India has one of the world’s largest marine resource bases.
The industry provides livelihood support to more than 5 million fishermen in 13 coastal states and Union Territories. Marine fisheries also play a significant role in India’s blue economy by contributing to seafood exports and providing nutritional support to millions of people.
Yet much of India’s deepwater potential remains underutilized. Most fishing activity is concentrated within 40-50 nautical miles of the coast. High-value species such as tuna, found in deeper waters between 12 and 200 nautical miles, are largely untapped by Indian fleets.
Countries including Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Indonesia, Iran and European nations currently fish for significant amounts of tuna in the Indian Ocean region, while India’s fishing fleets are largely confined to coastal waters.
What is holding India back?
The main limitation was the limited deep sea capability. Despite a large exclusive economic zone, a significant portion of the high-value resources remain underutilized due to a lack of modern vessels, insufficient on-board protection systems, and limited access to available credit.
Export-oriented fishermen also face increasing pressure to adhere to strict international standards for traceability, sustainability certification and quality control – requirements that are particularly important for premium markets in the European Union, Japan and the United States.
What is the Access Pass system?
To address these gaps, the Center on November 4, 2025, notified the Rules for “sustainable exploitation of fisheries in the EEZ, 2025”. A key element is the introduction of a legally sound and transparent access permit framework for permitted fishing operations in deeper waters.
The Access Pass system integrates digital catch documentation, traceability protocols and compliance standards in line with international import requirements. This is expected to strengthen certification, improve monitoring and reduce the risk of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing – a key issue for premium markets.
The move has added significance as India exported seafood worth around ₹62,408 crore in FY 2024-25.
“The introduction of the Access Pass system for deep-sea fisheries within India’s EEZ is expected to significantly boost the country’s seafood exports by improving traceability, compliance and access to high-value marine resources. It will create a transparent and legally-backed mechanism for authorized vessels to operate in deeper waters where premium species such as tuna and other pelagic fish are abundant,” India’s fish export association, N Seafood Raghavan, said. (SEAI).
How will this boost tuna exports?
Tuna and other pelagic species command higher prices on global markets, particularly in Japan, the EU and the US, where buyers demand high standards of quality and compliance.
By introducing a clear authorization and monitoring mechanism for vessels operating offshore, the framework aims to expand India’s effective fishing footprint in deeper waters and release commercially valuable tuna stocks.
This offshore shift could also reduce pressure on inshore fisheries while improving value realization through better on-board handling and export-level processing standards.
Digital traceability is a key element. For tuna exports in particular, international buyers require full documentation of origin, sustainability compliance and on-board handling procedures. Better surveillance and documentation could increase India’s credibility as a responsible fishing nation and strengthen its position in the world’s premium seafood markets.
What does this mean for fishermen?
For fishermen, this framework opens up access to highly valuable coastal resources that have so far remained largely untapped. By incentivizing investment in deeper water operations and strengthening value-added and processing ecosystems, the system seeks to improve income potential beyond the traditional inshore catch. It also encourages greater participation of cooperatives, self-help groups (SHGs) and fish producer organizations (FFPOs), which can potentially increase income opportunities in coastal communities.
Diversification of fishing zones can also help balance resource extraction patterns and promote ecological sustainability along with income growth. Higher value species such as tuna typically fetch premium prices and better access combined with better documentation could translate into higher export earnings. With seafood exports already at ₹62,408 crore in FY25, more efficient use of EEE resources could further increase revenue in the fisheries value chain.
What is the bigger vision?
The reform signals India’s transition from coastal-dependent fisheries to a regulated offshore fishing regime in line with global standards. The government is focusing on export competitiveness, digital integration, sustainability and higher added value. Integrating digital catch documentation with certification systems is expected to strengthen quality assurance and improve access to premium markets.
The initiative is also in line with India’s broader blue economy strategy. Plans for the 34 proposed fishing clusters, including the Fishing Harbor cluster in Veraval, aim to modernize infrastructure, improve processing capacity and strengthen the seafood value chain. Together, these measures seek to position India as a competitive, sustainable and high-value seafood exporter in global markets.