National Conference of Fisheries Secretaries convened to review progress and chart Future roadmap for Fisheries Sector

1. At a Glance

• National Fisheries Secretaries Conference convened by the Department of Fisheries (DoF), Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying on 16 January 2026 to review flagship schemes and chart the sector's roadmap [S1].
• Chaired by Dr. Abhilaksh Likhi, Union Secretary (Fisheries); reviewed PMMSY, FIDF, PM-MKSSY and Marine Fisheries Census 2025 [S1].
• Significant for UPSC as a single window into India's Blue Economy governance — cooperative federalism, scheme convergence, and the doubling of fish production since 2013-14 [S5].

2. Why in the News

• Conference held on 16 January 2026 at AP Shinde Symposium Hall, NASC Complex, Pusa, New Delhi with 25 States/UTs, ICAR institutes, SFAC, NCDC, NAFED [S1].
• Secretary flagged fund-utilisation as critical, urging timely disbursal by States/UTs [S1].

3. Background & Evolution

• 2015-16: "Blue Revolution — Integrated Development and Management of Fisheries" scheme launched (predecessor) [S5].
• 2018-19: FIDF created with corpus ₹7,522.48 crore (Union Budget 2018) [S6].
• 2019: Separate Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying carved out [S5].
• 10 Sep 2020: PMMSY launched by PM, FY 2020-21 to 2024-25, outlay ₹20,050 crore [S2].
• Feb 2024: Cabinet approved PM-MKSSY sub-scheme of PMMSY, outlay ₹6,000 crore (FY 2023-24 to 2026-27) [S2].
• 2025: Fifth Marine Fisheries Census 2025 launched — first fully digitised edition [S7].

4. Core Static Facts

• Nodal ministry: Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying; Department: Department of Fisheries [S1].
• PMMSY outlay: ₹20,050 crore (5 years, 2020-21 to 2024-25) [S2].
• PM-MKSSY outlay: ₹6,000 crore (₹3,000 cr public + ₹3,000 cr private/beneficiary leverage), 4 years [S2].
• FIDF corpus: ₹7,522.48 crore; 178 projects approved worth ₹6,369.79 crore as of July 2025 [S6].
• Fish production: rose from 95.79 lakh tonnes (2013-14) to 197.75 lakh tonnes (2024-25) — ~106% rise [S4].
• Inland fisheries growth: ~140% over the same period [S5].
• Seafood exports (2024-25): ₹62,408 crore [S5].
• Marine Fisheries Census 2025 coverage: >1.2 million households in ~5,000 marine fishing villages [S7].
• Digital apps: VyAS-NAV, VyAS-BHARAT, VyAS-SUTRA (multilingual Android) [S7].

5. Multi-Dimensional Analysis

Economic - Fisheries contributes to GVA growth via doubling of production and rising exports (₹62,408 cr) [S4][S5]. - PM-MKSSY targets formalisation of micro & small fisheries enterprises, crop insurance, working-capital access [S2].

Social - Sector supports ~3 crore fishers and fish-farmers; PM-MKSSY emphasises women, SC/ST beneficiaries through identity cards & subsidy access [S2].

Environmental / Sustainability - Marine Census 2025's geo-referenced real-time data enables stock assessment, sustainable harvest limits and climate-resilient planning [S7]. - FIDF funds eco-friendly harbours, cold chains, hatcheries reducing post-harvest loss [S6].

Administrative / Federal - Fisheries is a State subject (State List, Entry 21 — fisheries); Centre acts via centrally-sponsored/sector schemes — hence Secretaries' Conference as cooperative-federal forum [S1]. - Fund-utilisation gaps flagged at States/UTs level [S1].

Scientific / Technological - Census 2025: first fully digital edition — paperless, real-time, Android-based [S7]. - ICAR institutes (CIBA, CIFRI, CMFRI) engaged for drone-based monitoring, shrimp farming R&D [S1].

6. Recent Developments (last 12-18 months)

• Feb 2024: PM-MKSSY approved by Cabinet [S2].
• 2025: Digital Marine Fisheries Census 2025 launched with VyAS app suite [S7].
• FY 2024-25: Fish production hit 197.75 LMT; seafood exports ₹62,408 cr [S4][S5].
• Sept 2025: "5 Years of PMMSY" milestone document released [S5].
• 16 Jan 2026: National Fisheries Secretaries Conference, New Delhi [S1].

7. Prelims Hooks

• PMMSY launched on 10 September 2020 [S2].
• PMMSY total outlay: ₹20,050 crore over 5 years [S2].
• PM-MKSSY is a Central Sector Sub-scheme under PMMSY with outlay ₹6,000 crore [S2].
• FIDF corpus: ₹7,522.48 crore; set up in 2018-19 [S6].
• Marine Fisheries Census 2025 is the 5th edition and first fully digitised [S7].
• Census apps: VyAS-NAV, VyAS-BHARAT, VyAS-SUTRA [S7].
• Fisheries comes under Entry 21 of the State List (Seventh Schedule) [S1].
• Fish production (2024-25): 197.75 lakh tonnes [S4].
• Seafood exports (2024-25): ₹62,408 crore [S5].
• Conference venue: NASC Complex, Pusa, New Delhi [S1].
• Participating bodies included ICAR, SFAC, NCDC, NAFED [S1].
• Union Secretary, DoF (2026): Dr. Abhilaksh Likhi [S1].
• Marine Census covers ~5,000 marine villages / 1.2 million households [S7].

8. Mains Relevance

• GS-III: Economy (agriculture & allied sectors); Inclusive growth; Food processing; Blue Economy.
• GS-II: Government schemes; Cooperative federalism.
• Question stems: 1. "Discuss how PMMSY, PM-MKSSY and FIDF collectively constitute India's Blue Revolution 2.0. Examine implementation bottlenecks." 2. "Marine Fisheries Census 2025 marks a paradigm shift in data-driven fisheries governance. Critically analyse." 3. "Fisheries is a State subject, yet the Centre dominates funding. Examine the federal tensions in India's fisheries sector."

9. Related Topics to Study Next

• Blue Economy & Sagarmala — port-led growth complements fishing harbours.
• Deep Sea Mission (MoES) — overlaps with marine resource mapping.
• Mission Mausam / INCOIS PFZ advisories — sea-state info for fishermen.
• MPEDA & marine product exports — value-added seafood angle.
• CRZ Notification 2019 — coastal regulation affecting fishers.
• IUU Fishing & FAO Port State Measures Agreement — international regime.
• Inland Aquaculture & RAS technology — productivity drivers.
• National Fisheries Policy 2020 — overarching framework.

10. Common Errors / Trap Areas

• PMMSY ≠ PM-MKSSY: PM-MKSSY is a sub-scheme of PMMSY, not standalone [S2].
• FIDF is NOT under NABARD's own corpus — it is a DoF fund implemented via NABARD/NCDC/AFC as nodal lending entities, corpus ₹7,522.48 cr [S6].
• Fisheries is in State List (Entry 21) — not Concurrent — often misremembered.
• Marine Fisheries Census is conducted by CMFRI (under ICAR), not DoF directly.
• PMMSY duration: 2020-21 to 2024-25 (5 yrs) — not 2019 onwards.
• Ministry name: Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying (single ministry since 2019) — Fisheries has its own Department within it.

11. Sources

• [S1] National Conference of Fisheries Secretaries convened — https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2215426 — (tier 1)
• [S2] Cabinet approves PM-MKSSY — https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2004216 — (tier 1)
• [S3] Status of PMMSY — https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2084076 — (tier 1)
• [S4] Fish production 197.75 LMT FY24-25 — https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2213532 — (tier 1)
• [S5] Blue Waves of Progress: 5 Years of PMMSY — https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/specificdocs/documents/2025/sep/doc202599631401.pdf — (tier 1)
• [S6] Fisheries Infrastructure under PMMSY / FIDF — https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2149640 — (tier 1)
• [S7] First fully digitised Marine Fisheries Census 2025 — https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2184705 — (tier 1)