CMLRE Unveils Landmark National Report on Deep-Sea and Distant-Water Fishery Resources of the Indian EEZ to Fuel Sustainable Blue Economy

Key Highlights:

• The Centre for Marine Living Resources & Ecology (CMLRE), under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), released the "National Report on Deep-Sea and Distant-Water Fishery Resources of the Indian EEZ."
• The report compiles nearly four decades of research and three decades of surveys across India's 2.37 million sq km Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
• It provides a roadmap for sustainable development of India’s Blue Economy, balancing resource assessment with biodiversity conservation.
• The findings are based on over 400 oceanographic cruises conducted under the Marine Living Resources Programme (MLRP), primarily using the research vessel FORV Sagar Sampada.
• The report identifies underexploited deep-sea resources and highlights marine biodiversity hotspots like Kollam Bank & Angria Bank.
• It integrates modern technologies like fisheries acoustics, eDNA, AI, and satellite observations for marine spatial planning.
• This initiative reinforces India's Vision 2047 for the Blue Economy and global commitments to UN Sustainable Development Goal 14.

Detailed Insights:

• The report marks the Silver Jubilee celebrations of CMLRE, emphasizing India's focus on ocean-driven food security and climate regulation.
• FORV Sagar Sampada served as a sophisticated floating laboratory for multidisciplinary scientific expeditions.
• Explorations covered the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, Lakshadweep, Andaman Sea, and the Southern Ocean.
• The report unlocks the "Twilight Zone" (Mesopelagic Layer) (200-1,000 meters deep), detailing dense communities of lanternfishes, deep-sea shrimps, and cephalopods.
• It explains how the nightly vertical migration in the Mesopelagic Layer drives the ocean's "biological carbon pump," regulating global climate.
• A meticulous assessment of deep-sea demersal resources beyond 200 meters identifies substantial stocks of deep-sea shrimps, perches, scombroids, flatfishes, and eels.
• Comprehensive data is compiled on high-value distant-water species, including tunas, billfishes, sharks, oceanic squids, and Antarctic krill.
• Ecologically vital regions documented include the Off-Mangalore Deep-Sea Slope, Terrace off Trivandrum, and the Lakshadweep and Andaman-Nicobar Islands.
• The integration of emerging technologies establishes a state-of-the-art framework for marine spatial planning.
• The scientific foundation directly supports India's global commitments to the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ): A sea zone over which a state has special rights regarding the exploration and use of marine resources.
• Blue Economy: Sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and ocean ecosystem health.
• Mesopelagic Layer (Twilight Zone): The oceanic layer extending from 200 to 1,000 meters deep, characterized by dim light.
• Biological Carbon Pump: The process by which carbon is transferred from the atmosphere and surface ocean to the deep ocean for long-term storage.