India on Sunday launched its first open-sea marine fish farming project in the Andaman Sea, marking a milestone in the country’s efforts to tap ocean-based resources under its blue economy vision.
The pilot initiative was inaugurated by Union Minister of State for Earth Sciences Jitendra Singh during a field visit to North Bay near Sri Vijaya Puram in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Officials said the project seeks to blend scientific innovation with sustainable livelihood generation for coastal and island communities.
The programme is being implemented jointly by the Ministry of Earth Sciences, the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands administration.
It involves the open-sea cultivation of marine finfish and seaweed in natural ocean conditions using indigenously developed technology capable of withstanding offshore environments.
At the launch, two livelihood-focused interventions were rolled out for local fishing communities.
Seaweed seeds were distributed to encourage deep-water seaweed farming, while finfish seeds were provided for cage-based cultivation using NIOT-designed open-sea cages.
Addressing the gathering, Singh said the initiative represents an important step towards unlocking the economic potential of India’s oceans, in line with the Prime Minister’s emphasis on strengthening the blue economy.
He said marine resources, like land-based resources, offer diverse economic opportunities that have remained largely untapped for decades.
The minister said insights gained from the pilot project would help assess its feasibility and could pave the way for scaling up similar initiatives through public–private partnerships.
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Such an approach, he said, would speed up deployment, expand livelihood opportunities and contribute to the growth of India’s marine economy.
Singh noted that India’s maritime domain has begun receiving greater policy attention in recent years after long being overlooked, and highlighted that the country’s western, southern and eastern coastlines each have distinct characteristics and development potential.
During his visit, the minister also toured the Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park near Wandoor, one of the country’s oldest marine protected areas.
Established in 1983, the park spans 15 islands and is known for its coral reefs, mangroves and rich marine biodiversity, including turtles and a wide range of fish species.
