Jitendra Singh launches India’s first open-sea marine fish farming project

Andaman: Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Saturday launched India’s first open-sea marine fish farming project at North Bay in the Andaman Sea, marking a major step towards harnessing ocean resources under the Blue Economy vision.

Addressing the launch, the Minister said the open-sea marine fish farming initiative reflected a clear shift in national thinking since 2014. He said India had ignored the economic power of its oceans for nearly 70 years despite their vast potential, which he described as equal to the country’s Himalayan and mainland resources.

Jitendra Singh said Prime Minister Narendra Modi consistently emphasised the Blue Economy as a pillar of future growth. He added that India’s western, southern and eastern seaboards each offered unique opportunities that required region-specific approaches.

The Ministry of Earth Sciences implemented the project in collaboration with the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands administration. The pilot focuses on cultivating marine finfish and seaweed in natural open-sea conditions while creating livelihood opportunities for fishing communities.

Open-sea marine fish farming to boost livelihoods in Andaman Sea

During the field visit, the Minister launched two livelihood-oriented interventions. He handed over seaweed seeds to local fishers to promote deep-water seaweed cultivation. He also distributed finfish seeds for cage-based farming using NIOT-developed open-sea cages designed for rough ocean conditions.

Jitendra Singh said the experience from the open-sea marine fish farming project would help scale up similar initiatives through public–private partnerships in the future. He said such expansion would accelerate deployment, generate employment and strengthen India’s Blue Economy ecosystem.

Later, the Minister visited the Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park near Wandoor. He observed coral reefs, mangroves and diverse marine life across the protected islands, including Jolly Buoy and Red Skin. He said the visit underlined the need to balance livelihood generation with marine conservation.

The launch at North Bay, he added, showed the government’s intent to take science and technology directly to coastal and island communities and make them partners in ocean-led growth.