Vice President to launch ornamental fisheries plan in Lakshadweep tomorrow
The "Mission Rangeen Machhli 2031" Strategic Action Plan for ornamental fisheries development was launched at Agatti, Lakshadweep.
The plan sets a uniform national framework for scientific breeding, biosecurity, quality control, and trade across India's ornamental fish industry, replacing the current fragmented, state-by-state regulatory approach.
The launch event was also attended by the Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying and Panchayati Raj, the Minister of State for the same ministry, and the Administrator of Lakshadweep.
Lakshadweep was chosen as the launch site given its marine ornamental fishery resources, which the plan identifies as having significant potential for sustainable rearing, exports, and livelihood generation.
Ornamental Fisheries within India's Fisheries Policy Framework
Ornamental fisheries — the breeding, rearing and trade of aquarium/decorative fish — is a distinct high-value sub-sector of the broader fisheries and aquaculture economy, which the Department of Fisheries has increasingly prioritised for export potential and rural livelihoods, alongside marine capture fisheries and inland aquaculture.
Key Details
- The Department of Fisheries functions under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, created as a separate Ministry in 2019 (fisheries was earlier a division under the Ministry of Agriculture).
- Ornamental fish trade in India has historically been informal and regionally concentrated (West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and now the Andaman & Lakshadweep archipelagos for marine ornamental species).
- India's global share of the ornamental fish trade remains small relative to countries like Singapore and Sri Lanka, which is the gap that a standardised biosecurity/export framework is intended to address.
Mission Rangeen Machhli 2031 is positioned as the dedicated national strategy document for this sub-sector — moving it from an unorganised cottage activity toward an export-oriented, quality-certified industry with standardised rules.
Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) — The Umbrella Fisheries Scheme
PMMSY is the flagship central scheme for the fisheries sector, approved by the Union Cabinet and launched in September 2020, aimed at bringing about a "Blue Revolution" through sustainable fisheries development, of which ornamental fisheries development is one component activity.
Key Details
- Total outlay: ₹20,050 crore for 2020-21 to 2024-25, implemented via a Central Sector Scheme component and a Centrally Sponsored Scheme component (with State/UT cost-sharing).
- Target under PMMSY: raising fish production from about 137.58 lakh tonnes (2018-19) to 220 lakh tonnes, alongside doubling fisheries export earnings and generating additional employment.
- Implementing body: Department of Fisheries, with the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) as a supporting implementation agency.
- PMMSY explicitly lists development of ornamental fisheries and Recirculatory Aquaculture Systems (RAS) as focus areas for diversification and higher farmer incomes.
Mission Rangeen Machhli 2031 builds on PMMSY's ornamental fisheries component, converting it into a dedicated, standard-setting mission with defined biosecurity and trade rules rather than leaving it as one line item within the larger scheme.
Lakshadweep — Geography and Strategic/Ecological Significance
Lakshadweep is India's smallest Union Territory, an archipelago of coral atolls, reefs and islands in the Arabian Sea off the Kerala coast, whose choice as the launch site for a marine ornamental fisheries plan reflects its coral reef ecosystem's suitability for reef fish species used in the aquarium trade.
Key Details
- Lakshadweep comprises 36 islands (of which about 10 are inhabited), with a total land area of about 32 sq km but an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) many times larger, making marine resources central to its economy.
- The islands are true coral atolls (unlike the volcanic-origin Andaman & Nicobar Islands), giving Lakshadweep reef biodiversity relevant to the ornamental/aquarium fish trade.
- Agatti, the launch venue, is one of the few Lakshadweep islands with airport connectivity, and has been a focus of recent tourism and connectivity infrastructure push.
- Lakshadweep is administered directly by the Union under an Administrator appointed by the President, without a legislature (unlike Puducherry).
The plan's biosecurity and quality-control rules are particularly significant for Lakshadweep because marine ornamental species (reef fish, corals-adjacent organisms) require stricter collection and export regulation than freshwater aquarium species to prevent reef degradation, linking the scheme to both livelihood generation and coral ecosystem conservation.
- Plan name: Mission Rangeen Machhli 2031 (Strategic Action Plan for Ornamental Fisheries Development).
- Launch venue: Agatti, Lakshadweep.
- Parent scheme: PMMSY, launched September 2020, outlay ₹20,050 crore (2020-21 to 2024-25).
- PMMSY fish production target: 220 lakh tonnes (from a 2018-19 base of 137.58 lakh tonnes).
- Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (created 2019), Department of Fisheries.
- Lakshadweep: smallest Union Territory, 36 islands (~10 inhabited), ~32 sq km land area, coral atoll geography.