India Approves Accession to Southern Indian Ocean Fisheries Agreement
The Central Government has approved India's accession to the Southern Indian Ocean Fisheries Agreement (SIOFA), representing a strategic milestone that reinforces India's position in global fisheries governance. This initiative, following the Guidelines for High Sea Fisheries issued in December 2025, provides a regional framework to expand India's fishing fleet into international waters. The accession was announced by the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying on October 14, 2026.
With this accession, Indian-flagged fishing vessels and enterprises will gain authorized fishing rights for squids, toothfish, alfonsino, and other non-migratory fish stocks within SIOFA's jurisdiction. The agreement covers fishery resources including fish, molluscs, crustaceans, and other sedentary species within the area, excluding highly migratory species (Annex I of UNCLOS) and sedentary species subject to coastal states' fishery jurisdiction.
India's accession enables full participation as a Contracting Party in key SIOFA bodies including the Scientific Committee and Compliance Committee, providing access to scientific data, research programmes, and stock assessments. Previously, India had limited participation as a Cooperating Non-Contracting Party (CNCP) since 2022. The agreement facilitates collaboration with other Cooperating Parties to advance scientific understanding and sustainable harvest of High Seas resources while preventing illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
Strategically, the accession strengthens India's coastal security through active involvement in the High Seas Boarding and Inspection (HSBI) Scheme adopted under SIOFA. It positions India to safeguard strategic interests, broaden economic opportunities, and establish legitimate rights for sustainable harvesting of high-value marine resources, advancing India's Blue Economy in alignment with national economic, scientific, and strategic priorities.
Background information reveals that High Seas constitute approximately 65% of the global ocean, currently dominated by China (21%), Taiwan (13%), Japan (11%), South Korea (11%), and Spain (8%). SIOFA is one of two major Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs) in the Indian Ocean, alongside the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) where India has been a Contracting Party since 1996. Currently, Indian fishing vessels operate largely within 60-80 NM of the EEZ, and this accession supports India's need to develop fishing capacity across High Seas areas.