Marine Fish Resources: India Begins Monetary Valuation of Ocean Wealth under Environmental-Economic Accounting Economy, Environment and Blue Economy GS Paper III 4 September 2026 Read highlighted facts first n FAST READ — read only this box if short on time
- MoSPI has begun experimental monetary asset accounting of marine fish resources.
- Framework: UN System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA).
- India produced 19.77 MMT fish in FY25: about 77% inland and 23% marine.
- Marine fish output rose from 34.43 lakh tonnes (2013-14) to 46.15 lakh tonnes (2024-25).
- Core idea: treat fish stocks as natural capital, not merely annual catch.
WHY IN NEWS
- The Ministry of Statistics **and Programme **Implementation released a concept paper for compiling experimental monetary asset accounts of marine fish resources.
- The exercise aims to measure whether India's marine fish wealth is being maintained, depleted or regenerated over time.
- It moves fisheries accounting beyond annual catch and income toward the value of the underlying natural asset stock.
TOP DATA & FACTS
- India is the second-largest fish producer globally and accounts for about 8% of global fish production.
- Total fish production in FY2024-25 was 19.77 million metric tonnes.
- About 77% of production came from inland sources and 23% from marine sources.
- The fisheries sector contributed about n 1.76 lakh crore, or 1.09% of national GVA, in 2023-24.
- Marine fish production increased from 34.43 lakh tonnes in 2013-14 to 46.15 lakh tonnes in 2024-25.
- The concept paper is titled Methodological Approach for Compilation of Experimental Monetary Asset Accounts of Marine Fish Resources.