India’s marine fisheries are a favourite hunting ground for exam setters. Whether you are preparing for ICAR, state fisheries officer exams, ASRB, or university entrance tests, the same facts keep coming back: the size of the Exclusive Economic Zone, the latest CMFRI landing figures, the uniform fishing ban dates, and the scientific names of the big commercial species. This set of 20 multiple-choice questions covers exactly that ground — and every answer is tied to an official figure, not a coaching-class guess.
How to use this set: Cover the answer key at the bottom, attempt all 20 questions in 20 minutes, and score yourself honestly. Anything below 15 means you need to revise the data table below before your next mock test. Questions 5–8 use the most recent CMFRI annual estimates (2024), which are exactly the kind of current-data questions examiners love to slip into a paper.
India’s Marine Fisheries at a Glance
Before the questions, lock in the headline numbers. India’s marine fish landings totalled 3.47 million tonnes in 2024, a slight decline of 2% on 2023, according to ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI). Gujarat stayed India’s top landing state, and Indian mackerel stayed the country’s most landed species. The uniform fishing ban — 61 days on both coasts — protects breeding stocks every year, and traditional non-motorised units are exempt from it.
| Indicator | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Total marine fish landings, 2024 | 3.47 million tonnes (−2% vs 2023) | CMFRI annual estimates, via PIB (4 Aug 2025) |
| Top landing state, 2024 | Gujarat — 7.54 lakh tonnes | CMFRI, via PIB |
| Second / third states, 2024 | Tamil Nadu 6.79 lakh tonnes; Kerala 6.10 lakh tonnes | CMFRI, via PIB |
| Most landed species, 2024 | Indian mackerel — 2.63 lakh tonnes | CMFRI, via PIB |
| Second species, 2024 | Oil sardine — 2.41 lakh tonnes | CMFRI, via PIB |
| Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) | 2.02 million sq km; extends 200 nautical miles | CMFRI / Government of India |
| Estimated marine fisheries potential | 5.31 million tonnes | CMFRI estimate |
| Uniform fishing ban | 61 days; East Coast 15 April–14 June; West Coast 1 June–31 July | Department of Fisheries, Government of India |
| Mechanised catch per trip, 2024 | 2,959 kg (motorised 174 kg; non-motorised 41 kg) | CMFRI, via PIB |
The 20 MCQs
Q1. What is the approximate area of India’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)?
(a) 1.02 million sq km (b) 2.02 million sq km (c) 3.02 million sq km (d) 4.02 million sq km
Q2. Up to what distance from the baseline does a country’s EEZ extend under UNCLOS?
(a) 12 nautical miles (b) 24 nautical miles (c) 200 nautical miles (d) 350 nautical miles
Q3. In which year was the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) established?
(a) 1947 (b) 1957 (c) 1967 (d) 1977
Q4. Where is the headquarters of ICAR-CMFRI located?
(a) Chennai (b) Mumbai (c) Kochi (d) Visakhapatnam
Q5. What were India’s total marine fish landings in 2024, as estimated by CMFRI?
(a) 2.47 million tonnes (b) 3.47 million tonnes (c) 4.47 million tonnes (d) 5.47 million tonnes
Q6. Which state retained the top position in marine fish landings in 2024?
(a) Kerala (b) Tamil Nadu (c) Maharashtra (d) Gujarat
Q7. Which was the most landed marine species in India in 2024?
(a) Oil sardine (b) Indian mackerel (c) Ribbonfish (d) Bombay duck
Q8. How much oil sardine was landed in India in 2024?
(a) 1.41 lakh tonnes (b) 2.41 lakh tonnes (c) 3.41 lakh tonnes (d) 4.41 lakh tonnes
Q9. What is the scientific name of the Indian oil sardine?
(a) Rastrelliger kanagurta (b) Sardinella longiceps (c) Harpadon nehereus (d) Tenualosa ilisha
Q10. What is the scientific name of the Indian mackerel?
(a) Sardinella longiceps (b) Rastrelliger kanagurta (c) Trichiurus lepturus (d) Scomberomorus commerson
Q11. The Bombay duck, a major fishery of the north-west coast, is scientifically known as:
(a) Harpadon nehereus (b) Coilia dussumieri (c) Lepturacanthus savala (d) Pampus argenteus
Q12. The uniform fishing ban on India’s East Coast runs from:
(a) 1 June to 31 July (b) 15 April to 14 June (c) 15 June to 14 August (d) 1 April to 31 May
Q13. The uniform fishing ban on India’s West Coast runs from:
(a) 15 April to 14 June (b) 1 June to 31 July (c) 1 July to 31 August (d) 15 May to 14 July
Q14. How many days does India’s uniform fishing ban last on each coast?
(a) 45 days (b) 47 days (c) 61 days (d) 75 days
Q15. Which category of fishing units is exempt from the uniform fishing ban in the EEZ?
(a) Mechanised trawlers (b) Motorised gillnetters (c) Traditional non-motorised units (d) Deep-sea longliners
Q16. The Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) is headquartered at:
(a) Mumbai (b) Kochi (c) Chennai (d) New Delhi
Q17. The Fishery Survey of India (FSI), which surveys marine fishery resources, is headquartered at:
(a) Kochi (b) Mumbai (c) Visakhapatnam (d) Port Blair
Q18. CMFRI’s estimate of India’s marine fisheries potential is approximately:
(a) 3.31 million tonnes (b) 4.31 million tonnes (c) 5.31 million tonnes (d) 6.31 million tonnes
Q19. In 2024, the average catch per trip of a mechanised craft in India was about:
(a) 959 kg (b) 1,959 kg (c) 2,959 kg (d) 3,959 kg
Q20. National Fish Farmers’ Day in India is observed every year on:
(a) 21 November (b) 10 July (c) 22 April (d) 8 June
Answer Key with Explanations
1. (b) India’s EEZ covers 2.02 million sq km — the standard figure used by CMFRI and the Government of India.
2. (c) The EEZ extends 200 nautical miles from the baseline; 12 nautical miles is the territorial sea.
3. (a) CMFRI was established by the Government of India on 3 February 1947 and joined ICAR in 1967.
4. (c) CMFRI headquarters is at Kochi, Kerala.
5. (b) 3.47 million tonnes in 2024, down 2% on 2023 (CMFRI annual estimates).
6. (d) Gujarat led with 7.54 lakh tonnes, ahead of Tamil Nadu (6.79) and Kerala (6.10).
7. (b) Indian mackerel, at 2.63 lakh tonnes, was the most landed resource in 2024.
8. (b) Oil sardine landings were 2.41 lakh tonnes in 2024, second only to mackerel.
9. (b) Sardinella longiceps is the Indian oil sardine.
10. (b) Rastrelliger kanagurta is the Indian mackerel.
11. (a) Harpadon nehereus is the Bombay duck, famous in Maharashtra and Gujarat landings.
12. (b) East Coast ban: 15 April to 14 June, both days inclusive.
13. (b) West Coast ban: 1 June to 31 July, both days inclusive.
14. (c) 61 days on each coast — the earlier 47-day ban was extended on a technical committee’s recommendation.
15. (c) Traditional non-motorised units are exempt; the ban applies in the EEZ beyond territorial waters, with states mirroring it inshore.
16. (b) MPEDA was established in 1972 and is headquartered at Kochi.
17. (b) The Fishery Survey of India is headquartered at Mumbai.
18. (c) CMFRI puts India’s marine fisheries potential at about 5.31 million tonnes.
19. (c) Mechanised crafts averaged 2,959 kg per trip in 2024, against 174 kg for motorised and 41 kg for non-motorised craft.
20. (b) National Fish Farmers’ Day is 10 July, marking the first successful induced breeding of Indian major carps in 1957; 21 November is World Fisheries Day.
Why These Facts Matter for Your Exam
Examiners rarely ask for a single isolated number. They pair a number with a year — “2024 landings”, “61-day ban”, “2.02 million sq km EEZ” — and offer options that differ by exactly one digit. The trap in Q5 is the 2.47/3.47/4.47 ladder; the trap in Q14 is the old 47-day ban that many guidebooks still print. If you remember that the ban was extended from 47 to 61 days, and that 2024 was a slight decline year (3.47 million tonnes, not a record), both traps disappear.
Scientific names are the other high-yield area. Sardinella longiceps (oil sardine), Rastrelliger kanagurta (Indian mackerel) and Harpadon nehereus (Bombay duck) appear in paper after paper because they are India’s biggest commercial marine species. Learn them as a trio and you will rarely lose marks there.
Keep Practising
If this set helped, work through our other question banks next: Biofloc MCQs: 20 Questions Every Aspirant Must Ace, Water Quality MCQs: 20 Questions Every Fisher Must Ace, and Shrimp Farming in India: 20 MCQs Every Aspirant Must Try. For the latest training opportunities from the institute behind today’s data, see CMFRI Opens 3 Courses: Fish Seed to Zooplankton.
Sourcing note: Landing figures and catch-per-trip data are from ICAR-CMFRI’s annual marine fish landing estimates for 2024, as reported by the Press Information Bureau on 4 August 2025. Fishing-ban dates and the non-motorised exemption are from Department of Fisheries, Government of India, notifications and PIB releases. CMFRI’s founding date (3 February 1947) and Kochi headquarters are from the institute’s own history page. Illustrations in this post are representative images, not photographs of the species named.