India has just taken the biggest policy step yet for the fishers who produce most of its fish — and yet are rarely at the centre of fisheries policy. On 23 October 2026, at a national workshop in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, Union Fisheries Secretary Dr Abhilaksh Likhi formally launched the development phase of a National Plan of Action (NPOA) for inland small-scale fisheries.
This is not a subsidy announcement and it is not a finished rulebook. It is the start of a dedicated national plan for the rivers, reservoirs, lakes, wetlands and cold-water systems where roughly three out of every four tonnes of Indian fish are produced. And it comes with a headline ambition: lift total fish production from 19.7 million tonnes a year to 30 million tonnes within five years, and nearly double seafood export earnings to ₹1.25 lakh crore.
For inland fishers, fish farmers, cooperatives and Fish Farmer Producer Organisations (FFPOs), the question is not whether the targets sound big. It is what this plan will actually change on the water — and how communities can make sure their voices shape it while it is still being written.
India’s inland fisheries plan at a glance
| Detail | What is confirmed |
|---|---|
| What was launched | Development phase of the National Plan of Action (NPOA) for inland small-scale fisheries — not the final plan itself |
| Launch date and place | 23 October 2026, at a two-day national workshop in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh |
| Launched by | Dr Abhilaksh Likhi, Secretary, Department of Fisheries, Government of India |
| Led by | Union Department of Fisheries, in collaboration with the Bay of Bengal Programme Inter-Governmental Organisation (BOBP-IGO) |
| Framework | United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) framework, aligned with the FAO Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries (SSF Guidelines) |
| Production target | 30 million tonnes of fish a year within five years, up from 19.7 million tonnes now |
| Export target | Seafood exports of ₹1.25 lakh crore, up from more than ₹70,000 crore now |
| Next step | Stakeholder consultations with fishing communities across the country, then finalisation and public launch |
The numbers behind the 30-million-tonne bet
The targets only make sense against where India stands today. The figures below are the ones cited at the Bhopal launch and in the government’s own recent reporting — not projections added by this article.
| Indicator | Current position | Five-year target |
|---|---|---|
| Total fish production | 19.7 million tonnes a year (197.75 lakh tonnes in 2024–25) | 30 million tonnes a year |
| Inland share | About three-fourths of total production (151.60 lakh tonnes inland in 2024–25) | Growth led by inland systems, not marine catch alone |
| Seafood exports | More than ₹70,000 crore (₹73,890 crore in 2025–26) | ₹1.25 lakh crore |
That last row is the detail most coverage skips. Inland fisheries already dominate Indian production, yet policy attention, investment and headlines have historically tilted toward the marine sector. A plan written specifically for inland small-scale fisheries is, in that sense, a correction — an admission that the biggest part of the sector has had the least dedicated policy architecture.
The arithmetic is also demanding. Moving from 19.7 million to 30 million tonnes means adding roughly 10 million tonnes — more than 50% growth — in five years. That cannot come from simply fishing harder. It has to come from better-managed waters, higher aquaculture productivity, less post-harvest loss, and stronger value chains that turn more of the catch into income rather than waste.
What waters does the plan cover?
The plan’s scope is deliberately wide, because “inland fisheries” is not one kind of water. According to the launch reporting, it covers:
- Rivers and canals — capture fisheries and the communities that depend on flowing waters;
- Reservoirs — including cage culture and reservoir fisheries, a major growth area for states;
- Lakes and tanks — small water bodies that support large numbers of part-time and seasonal fishers;
- Floodplain wetlands — ecologically rich but often poorly governed commons;
- Cold-water systems — trout and other cold-water fisheries in hill regions, where the economics and ecology differ sharply from the plains.
That breadth matters for a practical reason: a rule that works for a large reservoir in Madhya Pradesh will not work for a floodplain wetland in Assam or a cold-water stream in the Himalayas. The plan’s own emphasis on region-specific solutions is a recognition of that fact — and it is the part fishers should hold the process to.
Why now? The pressures the Secretary named
At Bhopal, Dr Likhi named two threats that frame the whole exercise: climate change and declining water quality, including falling oxygen levels in water bodies. Those are not abstract concerns for inland fishers. Warmer water holds less oxygen, pollution and siltation shrink habitat, and erratic rainfall changes the seasonal rhythms that capture fisheries depend on.
The Secretary’s other message was just as important: production growth must go hand in hand with protecting small-scale fishers’ livelihoods. He called for a mission-mode outreach programme to take the proposed plan directly to fishing communities, warning that the document must translate into practical improvements in livelihoods rather than remain confined to government offices.
That is the test to apply to everything that follows. A plan that raises production while leaving fishers poorer — through lost access, squeezed margins or degraded waters — would fail on its own stated terms.
What could actually change for inland fishers?
Because the plan is still in development, no new subsidy rate, licence rule or application window has been announced under it. Anyone claiming otherwise is getting ahead of the official record. What the launch does set in motion, however, is concrete:
- A dedicated policy home for inland small-scale fisheries. Instead of being an afterthought inside broader fisheries schemes, inland small-scale issues — tenure and fishing rights, resource management, decent work, women’s participation — get their own national framework.
- Stakeholder consultations before finalisation. The workshop set a framework for consultations with fishing communities across the country. This is the window in which fishers, cooperatives and FFPOs can put issues on the table — access rights, seed and feed availability, cold-chain gaps, market access — before the text is locked.
- Better coordination across states and agencies. Inland waters cross state boundaries and departmental lines. A national plan is meant to improve coordination so that, for example, reservoir management, pollution control and fisheries development stop working at cross-purposes.
- A value-chain push alongside production. The same day in Bhopal, the Fisheries Investors & Exporters Conclave 2026 — organised by the Union and Madhya Pradesh Departments of Fisheries — focused on linking inland production to investment, processing, cold-chain infrastructure, value addition and export markets, with more than 1,000 fish farmers from Madhya Pradesh taking part. The direction is clear: the plan is not only about catching more fish, but about fishers earning more from every tonne.
How fishers and fish farmers can engage right now
There is no application form for the NPOA itself — it is a policy plan, not a scheme with beneficiaries. But there are practical steps communities can take while it is being written:
- Raise access and tenure issues through your cooperative or FFPO. Fishing rights over inland water bodies are a central governance issue in the FAO small-scale fisheries framework. If your community faces unclear tenure, seasonal bans that ignore local knowledge, or conflicts over reservoir use, document them now — consultations are when such issues get recorded.
- Talk to your state fisheries department about the consultation schedule. The plan is being developed nationally but implemented through states. Ask your district fisheries office when consultations reach your area and who is invited.
- Link production to markets, not just ponds. The Bhopal conclave’s message applies regardless of the plan’s final text: cold-chain, processing, grading and collective marketing through FFPOs are where much of the income gain sits. Existing schemes such as PMMSY already support such infrastructure — the plan should make them easier, not harder, to access.
- Watch for the final plan, not just the launch. The real test comes when the finalised NPOA is published: its targets, timelines, responsibilities and funding. Fisheries India will cover the final document in detail when it appears.
What to watch — and what would count as success
Three things will tell us whether this plan is serious. First, whether consultations genuinely reach small-scale fishers — including women fish workers — or stay confined to officials and experts. Second, whether the final plan names measurable commitments on water quality, fishing rights and incomes, not just production tonnage. Third, whether inland states see faster clearances and funding for the unglamorous backbone: seed, feed, cold-chain, landing and market infrastructure.
The risk is equally clear. A plan that chases the 30-million-tonne headline by pushing intensive aquaculture into stressed waters, without fixing oxygen depletion, pollution and access rights, would undermine the very resource it needs. The Secretary’s own framing — growth with livelihood protection and climate resilience — gives communities a yardstick to measure the final document against.
India’s inland waters already feed millions and produce most of the country’s fish. For the first time, they are getting a national plan of their own. Whether that plan delivers for the people who fish them depends on what happens between this launch and the final text — and on whether those people are heard while it is still being written.
Frequently asked questions
Is the National Plan of Action for inland small-scale fisheries final?
No. What launched on 23 October 2026 in Bhopal was the development phase. The plan will be finalised through stakeholder consultations before its public launch.
Is there an application or deadline under this plan?
No. The NPOA is a policy framework, not a scheme with individual applications. No application window or last date has been announced under it. Do not trust any message claiming otherwise.
What is the FAO SSF Guidelines framework?
The Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries, approved as an international instrument in June 2014, are the first global instrument dedicated to small-scale fisheries. They cover tenure, resource management, value chains, decent work and gender, and they guide — but do not legally bind — national plans like India’s.
Why does inland fisheries matter so much?
Because inland systems produce about three-fourths of India’s fish — 151.60 lakh tonnes of the 197.75 lakh tonnes produced in 2024–25 — across rivers, reservoirs, lakes, wetlands, tanks and cold-water systems.
Official and related links
- Press Information Bureau: Fisheries Investors & Exporters Conclave 2026, Bhopal (22 October 2026 announcement) — pib.gov.in
- FAO: Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries (summary) — fao.org
- India’s Fish Output Hits 197.75 Lakh Tonnes (2024–25)
- India’s Seafood Exports Hit ₹73,890 Crore Record
- India Approves SIOFA Accession: High-Seas Access Opens
- Andaman: Up to 75% Safety Gear Subsidy!
Sources and fact-check (29 October 2026): PIB conclave announcement (22 October 2026); IANS reporting of the Bhopal launch (23 October 2026) and the Fisheries Secretary’s stated targets (30 million tonnes in five years; seafood exports ₹1.25 lakh crore; current output 19.7 million tonnes; inland share about three-fourths; exports above ₹70,000 crore); FAO SSF Guidelines summary (approved June 2014). The featured image is an illustration, not a photograph of the Bhopal workshop. No application, deadline or subsidy rate is claimed under the NPOA, because none has been announced.