Govt Approves India's Accession To SIOFA To Boost Presence In High Seas Fisheries

(MENAFN- IANS) New Delhi, Oct 14 (IANS) In a bid to strengthen India's presence in High Seas fisheries and enhance participation in global fisheries governance, the government on Wednesday said it has approved India's accession to the Southern Indian Ocean Fisheries Agreement (SIOFA).

With this, Indian-flagged fishing vessels and enterprises will be able to undertake authorised fishing of squids, toothfish, alfonsino, and other non-migratory fish stocks within SIOFA's jurisdiction, according to the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying.

India will be positioned to safeguard its strategic interests, broaden economic opportunities, and establish legitimate rights for the sustainable harvesting of high-value marine resources under the SIOFA framework.

“Furthermore, it affirms a recognised presence on the high seas and advances India's Blue Economy in alignment with national economic, scientific, and strategic priorities,” according to an official statement.

The High Seas constitute approximately 65 per cent of the global ocean and are currently dominated by five countries/regions -- China (21 per cent), Taiwan (13 per cent), Japan (11 per cent), South Korea (11 per cent) and Spain (8 per cent).

Indian fishing vessels currently operate largely within 60–80 nautical miles (NM) of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), and the country needs to develop and expand its fishing capacity across all possible High Seas areas, including through access agreements in other countries' EEZs, thereby contributing to the national exchequer.

Accession to SIOFA will further enable India to collaborate with other Cooperating Parties to advance the objectives of the Agreement, namely, scientific understanding and sustainable harvest of High Seas resources, participation in the scientific assessments of the resources covered under the Agreement, and prevention of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

This will also advance India's strategic regional priorities and strengthen national coastal security through active involvement in the High Seas Boarding and Inspection (HSBI) Scheme, which has been adopted and is set to be implemented under the SIOFA.

India has been a cooperating non-Contracting Party (CNCP) of SIOFA, since 2022.

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