India and Seychelles Convene High-Level Bilateral Meeting to Strengthen Strategic Cooperation in Fisheries, Aquaculture, and the Blue Economy
India's Department of Fisheries (Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying) held a high-level bilateral meeting with a Seychelles delegation to strengthen cooperation in fisheries, aquaculture, and the blue economy
Discussions covered sustainable marine resource management, digital and AI-based tools for fisheries and harvest management, tuna fisheries, marine aquaculture, and joint scientific research
Seychelles expressed interest in a bilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) dedicated to fisheries and aquaculture cooperation
Both sides agreed to continue technical exchanges, reciprocal visits, and collaboration between centres of excellence to strengthen food security and economic resilience in the Indian Ocean region
India's Blue Economy Policy Framework
The "blue economy" refers to the sustainable use of ocean and marine resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and ocean ecosystem health. India has increasingly framed its Indian Ocean engagement — including fisheries diplomacy — within this blue economy lens, alongside its broader maritime security doctrine.
Key Details
- India's Draft Blue Economy Policy Framework (2021) identifies fisheries, aquaculture, coastal tourism, and marine biotechnology among priority sectors
- The Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), launched 2020, is India's flagship fisheries scheme, targeting fish production growth and doubling fishers'/farmers' income, implemented by the Department of Fisheries
- India's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) extends 200 nautical miles from its coastline, under UNCLOS (1982), giving it sovereign rights over marine resources within it — the same UNCLOS framework governs Seychelles' EEZ in the western Indian Ocean
The fisheries and aquaculture MoU under discussion operationalises India's blue economy priorities through bilateral technical cooperation with a key Indian Ocean island state.
India's SAGAR Doctrine and Maritime Diplomacy in the Indian Ocean
SAGAR ("Security and Growth for All in the Region"), articulated in 2015, is India's maritime doctrine positioning it as a "net security provider" in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), combining capacity-building, humanitarian assistance, and economic cooperation with island states such as Seychelles, Mauritius, Maldives, and Sri Lanka.
Key Details
- SAGAR was expanded in March 2025 into MAHASAGAR (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions), broadening India's regional maritime outreach beyond the immediate IOR
- India and Seychelles have a long-standing defence and maritime security partnership, including the Joint Vision for Sustainability, Economic Growth and Security through Enhanced Linkages (SESEL)
- A prior India-Seychelles initiative to jointly develop infrastructure on Assumption Island for maritime surveillance drew domestic political sensitivity in Seychelles over sovereignty concerns and did not proceed as originally envisaged
The fisheries and blue economy meeting is a continuation of the SAGAR/MAHASAGAR framework's economic dimension, following the more security-focused Assumption Island episode, showing how India recalibrates IOR engagement toward cooperative, non-militarised domains such as fisheries.
India-Seychelles Bilateral Relationship
Seychelles, an archipelagic state in the western Indian Ocean, is one of India's oldest strategic partners in the IOR, given its location astride key sea lanes of communication (SLOCs) connecting the Gulf, East Africa, and South Asia.
Key Details
- India has extended defence platforms (offshore patrol vessels, Dornier aircraft) and coastal surveillance radar systems to Seychelles as part of maritime domain awareness cooperation
- Both countries are members of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), a regional grouping promoting economic cooperation among Indian Ocean littoral states
- India's line of credit and grant assistance to Seychelles has historically focused on infrastructure, defence, and now increasingly the blue economy/fisheries sector
The 25 August 2026 meeting adds fisheries/aquaculture as a formal pillar of India-Seychelles cooperation, diversifying the relationship beyond its traditional defence-and-security core.
- Meeting date: 25 August 2026, hosted by India's Department of Fisheries (Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying)
- India's EEZ: 200 nautical miles under UNCLOS (1982)
- PMMSY (Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana): launched 2020, India's flagship fisheries development scheme
- SAGAR doctrine: articulated 2015; evolved into MAHASAGAR in March 2025
- Both India and Seychelles are members of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA)
- Cooperation areas discussed: tuna fisheries, marine aquaculture, AI-based harvest management, joint scientific research