Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: Goa’s small-scale fishing communities have joined a nationwide protest against the Centre’s proposed Sustainable Harnessing of Fisheries in the Exclusive Economic Zone of India Rules, 2025, with the state unit of the National Federation of Small-Scale Fishworkers (NFSF) submitting detailed objections to the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying. The federation has urged the government to enact a dedicated law specifically regulating fishing in India’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
The submission, part of a coordinated response by fishing communities along India’s coastline, argues that the draft rules fail to adequately safeguard the interests of traditional fishers and bypass proper parliamentary oversight. These concerns are particularly significant for Goa, where fishing activities extend extensively into EEZ waters.
In its submission dated August 30, 2025, the NFSF stated, “The government of India’s approach to legislating regulations for fishing in the EEZ has not been welcomed by the people of the country in general, and by coastal fishing communities in particular.” The federation also cited previous attempts at similar legislation, including the 2021 bill, which faced widespread opposition from fishing communities and state governments, such as Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
The current dispute revolves around the government’s decision to introduce EEZ fishing regulations as subordinate rules under the Territorial Waters, Continental Shelf, Exclusive Economic Zone and Other Maritime Zones Act, 1976, rather than framing a separate primary legislation.
