Why The India–Maldives MoU On Fisheries And Aquaculture Matters

New Delhi: Of the eight agreements and memorandums of understanding (MoUs) signed between India and the Maldives during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the Indian Ocean archipelago nation, the MoU on the bilateral collaboration in the field of fisheries and aquaculture assumes interesting significance.

India's Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying said on Saturday that the partnership aims to promote sustainable tuna and deep-sea fisheries, strengthen aquaculture and sustainable resource management, foster fisheries-based eco-tourism, and support innovation and scientific research across both countries.

"Key areas of collaboration outlined in the MoU include value chain development, mariculture advancement, trade facilitation, and capacity building within the fisheries sector," a statement issued by the Ministry reads. "As a part of this initiative, the Maldives will scale up its fish processing capabilities by investing in cold storage infrastructure and strengthening the aquaculture sector through hatchery development, improved production efficiency, and the diversification of cultured species."

The Ministry further stated that the MoU will also facilitate training and knowledge exchange programmes, with a focus on capacity building in aquatic animal health, biosecurity screening, aquaculture farm management, and specialised technical fields such as refrigeration, mechanical engineering, and marine engineering to support long-term skills development within the sector.

"This cooperation reflects the shared vision of India and Maldives to build a more resilient, innovative, and sustainable future for the fisheries industry," it added.

Choosing fisheries – a sector that directly affects livelihoods in both countries and is relatively insulated from “hard” security debates - as an area of cooperation signals a low‑politics, high-impact reset of India-Maldives ties. It lets both sides rebuild trust through practical, deliverable projects rather than contentious strategic issues.

In the Maldives, tourism dominates the GDP. Fisheries form the second pillar of the country’s economy and the main source of protein and rural employment. Enhancing value addition, improving cold-chain logistics, and adopting sustainable aquaculture/mariculture can cushion the economy against tourism shocks as had happened during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Fishing is the lifeblood of our nation, it is inborn," former Maldives President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom had once said. "From the soil on which we live, to the sea around us, it remains an integral part of our existence. Fishing, and our country and its people, (are) one and shall remain inseparable forever."

For coastal communities in India - especially in Lakshadweep and along India’s west coast where tuna fisheries are growing - joint work on stock management, deep-sea fishing, and market access improves incomes and reduces pressure on inshore, overexploited stocks.

Lakshadweep and Minicoy islands share ecological and cultural proximity with the Maldives. Joint programmes in tuna product development, skill upgradation, eco-labelling, and market intelligence can help these islands move up the value chain. For coastal districts on India’s west and south coasts, exposure to the Maldives’ best practices in sustainable, low-bycatch tuna fisheries is a tangible upgrade path.

The Maldives is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, located southwest of the southern tip of India. There are 26 atolls containing 1,192 islets, of which 250 islands are inhabited.

The country has an abundance of aquatic life and species of fish. Common are tuna, groupers, dolphin fish, barracuda, rainbow runner, trevally and squirrelfish and many more. Aside from being of essential importance to the economy, fishing is also a popular recreational activity in the Maldives, not only among locals but among tourists too.

As with other countries, the Maldivian 200-nautical-mile (370 km) exclusive economic zone (EEZ) gives its fishing industry special fishing rights. It covers about 900,000 sq km. This area, plus the inland areas, are the areas which the Maldives can, under international law, regard as its fishing grounds.

"The Maldives’ economy depends mainly on tourism and fishing – basically tuna fish," former Indian diplomat JK Tripathi, who served in the Maldives, told ETV Bharat. "However, even today, they don’t have good technology for tuna fishing."

Tripathi said that India, given its long coastline and experience, can share fishing technology with the Maldives.

"India can provide them fishing nets, small vessels and also necessary technology," he said. "India can also help them in fishing while avoiding IUU (Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated) fishing."

Global markets (EU, US, UK) are steadily tightening IUU fishing regulations and traceability requirements. A shared framework on vessel monitoring systems, electronic catch documentation and traceability, and observer/ port state measures will help both sides safeguard market access and command price premiums. The MoU also positions both countries to better comply with emerging WTO fisheries subsidies disciplines that demand demonstrable sustainability.

Data and protocols developed to fight IUU fishing (shared vessel registries, patrol coordination, satellite surveillance) spill over to improve wider maritime domain awareness - from search and rescue to pollution tracking - without framing the cooperation in overtly securitised terms.

Tripathi also referred to the Central Institute of Fisheries Education (CIFE) under the Indian Council of Agricutural Research (ICAR) and said that Maldivian fishermen can be trained here.

According to Nisha Taneja, Professor at the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), India is interested in investing in the fisheries sector in the Maldives.

"India may want to set up processing plants that would enable the Maldives to export," Taneja said. "There is huge potential in export of fish and fish products from the Maldives."

To sum up, the MoU on collaboration in the field of fisheries and aquaculture is significant because it simultaneously advances geopolitics, geoeconomics, and geosustainability. It gives India and the Maldives a deliverable, people-first agenda to repair and future-proof ties, helps both meet tightening global sustainability and traceability rules, diversifies and climate‑proofs island and coastal livelihoods, and creates a scalable blueprint for blue economy cooperation across the Indian Ocean.