India launches first open-sea marine fish farming project in Andaman Sea
Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology, Dr Jitendra Singh on Sunday launched India’s first-ever open-sea marine fish farming project in the Andaman Sea.
The launch took place at North Bay, Sri Vijaya Puram, during Dr Singh’s field visit to the open waters of the Andaman Sea.
Addressing the gathering, Dr Jitendra Singh said the initiative represents one of the earliest and most significant efforts to unlock the economic potential of India’s oceans.
He observed that India’s marine resources, much like its Himalayan and mainland assets, possess immense and diverse economic potential that remained largely overlooked for decades.
He noted that for nearly seventy years after Independence, India’s ocean resources were largely underexplored. Since 2014, however, there has been a fundamental shift in national thinking, with growing recognition that the maritime domain holds wealth and opportunities equal to those of the land.
He also highlighted the distinctive and heterogeneous nature of India’s oceans, pointing out that the western, southern and eastern seaboards each have unique characteristics and contributions to offer towards national development.
The project is being implemented through a collaborative effort involving the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India, its technical arm the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), and the Union Territory Administration of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The pilot project focuses on the open-sea cultivation of marine finfish and seaweed under natural ocean conditions, combining scientific innovation with livelihood generation.