"India Releases Comprehensive Report on Deep-Sea Fishery Resources of Its EEZ"
Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)
maritime zone extending 200 nautical miles where a coastal state holds sovereign resource rights.
Mesopelagic zone
ocean layer from 200 to 1,000 metres depth, also called the twilight zone.
India's marine fisheries sector supports over 16 million fishers and fish workers. It is governed by the Indian Fisheries Act, 1897, state-level marine fishing regulation acts, and India's obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Under UNCLOS, India holds sovereign rights over its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), which extends 200 nautical miles from the baseline. This covers approximately 2.37 million sq. km of ocean — one of the largest EEZs in the world.
Systematic scientific exploration of this zone began in earnest in the early 1990s under the Marine Living Resources Programme (MLRP), operated by the Centre for Marine Living Resources and Ecology (CMLRE) under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES). The CMLRE, based in Kochi, has served as India's primary institution for deep-sea biological and fisheries research. Its flagship research vessel, the Fishery and Oceanographic Research Vessel (FORV) Sagar Sampada, has conducted multidisciplinary expeditions across the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, Lakshadweep waters, Andaman Sea, and the Southern Ocean.
Policy interest in deep-sea resources has grown alongside India's Blue Economy ambitions. The Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) aims to double fishers' incomes and modernise infrastructure. India's seafood exports have reached approximately ₹73,890 crore (USD 8.46 billion), underscoring the economic stakes. However, deep-sea fishing policy has also been a contested domain, with tensions between commercial exploitation and the livelihood security of small-scale fishing communities.
The newly released national report synthesises nearly four decades of oceanographic research and over 400 oceanographic cruises conducted since the early 1990s. It is the most comprehensive scientific baseline India has produced on its deep-sea and distant-water fishery resources.
A central focus is the mesopelagic zone, commonly called the "twilight zone," which extends from 200 to 1,000 metres below the ocean surface. This zone hosts dense communities of lanternfishes (myctophids), deep-sea shrimps, and cephalopods. These organisms perform nightly vertical migration — rising to surface waters at night to feed and descending by day. This movement drives the ocean's biological carbon pump: organic carbon fixed at the surface is transported to the deep sea, where it is sequestered. This process is critical to global climate regulation and is a key reason why mesopelagic ecosystems have strategic importance beyond fisheries alone. …
Which of the following statements with regard to India's Deep Ocean Mission is/are correct?
1.It was launched by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Government of India.
2.Matsya-6000 has been designed to carry 3 people for deep sea exploration.
3.Samudrayaan is a project under this mission.
Select the answer using the code given below:
Consider the following statements:
1.The Global Ocean Commission grants licences for seabed exploration and mining in international waters.
2.India has received licences for seabed mineral exploration in international waters.
3.'Rare earth minerals' are present on the seafloor in international waters.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Consider the following kinds of organisms:
1.Copepods
2.Cyanobacteria
3.Diatoms
4.Foraminifera
Which of the above are primary producers in the food chains of oceans?
With reference to India's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), consider the following statements:
1.India's EEZ extends 200 nautical miles from the baseline under UNCLOS.
2.The Centre for Marine Living Resources and Ecology (CMLRE) functions under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
3.The Marine Living Resources Programme has conducted over 400 oceanographic cruises since the early 1990s.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
The 'biological carbon pump' in the ocean is primarily driven by which of the following?
Which of the following best describes the 'mesopelagic zone' of the ocean?
With reference to India's Blue Economy and marine fisheries governance, which of the following pairs is/are correctly matched?
1.PMMSY — Ministry of Earth Sciences
2.CMLRE — Ministry of Earth Sciences
3.Fisheries Survey of India — Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
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