Why in News?
The Centre for Marine Living Resources and Ecology (CMLRE) under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) has released the “National Report on Deep-Sea and Distant-Water Fishery Resources of the Indian EEZ”.
The report, released during CMLRE’s Silver Jubilee celebrations, brings together nearly four decades of oceanographic research and three decades of systematic marine surveys across India’s 2.37 million sq km Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
Key Points
The report provides a comprehensive assessment of India’s deep-sea and distant-water fishery resources, with the objective of supporting sustainable fisheries, biodiversity conservation and the development of India’s Blue Economy.
It examines marine resources in the mesopelagic or “twilight zone”, which extends from approximately 200 to 1,000 metres below the ocean surface.
The mesopelagic zone supports species such as lanternfishes, deep-sea shrimps and cephalopods. Many of these organisms undertake vertical migration, moving between different depths, and play an important role in the ocean’s biological carbon pump, thereby contributing to global climate regulation.
The report also assesses demersal fishery resources occurring along the continental slope beyond 200 metres depth. These include deep-sea shrimps, perches, scombroids, flatfishes and eels.
It further provides information on distant-water species such as tunas, billfishes, sharks, oceanic squids and Antarctic krill, highlighting their importance for India’s marine fisheries and ocean economy.
Ecologically Important Areas
The report identifies several marine biodiversity hotspots and ecologically important areas, including: Kollam Bank, Angria Bank, Deep-sea slope off Mangaluru, Terrace off Thiruvananthapuram, Waters around the Lakshadweep Islands, Waters around the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
![](https://www.gstimes.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/WEEKLY-TEST-RECT.jpg")
