Vice President launches national programme for issuance of Letters of Authorisation for Sustainable Harnessing of Fisheries in the High Seas

📌 Summary:

• Vice-President C.P. Radhakrishnan launched the national programme for issuance of Letters of Authorisation (LoAs) for Sustainable Harnessing of Fisheries in the High Seas at Bhubaneswar; also launched the Odisha Deep Sea Fishing Mission Document

• LoAs presented to ten Fish Farmer Producer Organisations (FFPOs) and fishermen; priority in issuance to fisheries cooperatives, FFPOs and Indian fishermen

• Framework enables Indian fishermen to move beyond near-shore fishing into deep waters and high seas for high-value species such as tuna

• India's fisheries profile: 11,000+ km coastline; EEZ of nearly 24 lakh sq km; world's second-largest fish producer (~8% of global production); ~3 crore livelihoods; seafood exports crossed Rs 73,000 crore last financial year

• Sustainability safeguards emphasised: digital authorisation systems, vessel tracking, international certification, strict compliance against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing

• Expected gains: exports, employment across harvesting, processing, cold chain, logistics; youth urged to see fisheries as a science- and technology-driven profession

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS3 Economy (blue economy, allied sector growth) — deep-sea fishing policy, sustainable resource use and fisherfolk livelihoods

📝 Prelims Facts:

• India: world's 2nd-largest fish producer, ~8% of global fish production
• EEZ ~24 lakh sq km; coastline 11,000+ km; seafood exports Rs 73,000+ crore
• LoA priority: cooperatives, FFPOs, Indian fishermen; launched at Bhubaneswar with Odisha Deep Sea Fishing Mission

🔑 Key Term: IUU Fishing — Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing; the LoA regime mandates vessel tracking and certification to prevent it in high-seas fishing