Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Rajiv Ranjan Singh on Friday launched the access pass for fishing in the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) at Veraval in Gujarat.“The launch of the access pass is a significant milestone towards operationalising a modern, sustainable and fisher-centric governance framework for India’s EEZ, aimed at expanding offshore fishing, increasing fisher incomes, promoting responsible utilisation of marine resources, and advancing the national vision of a resilient and inclusive Blue Economy,” he said at the event.The minister also highlighted that the EEZ framework was drafted after extensive consultations with fishermen associations, cooperatives, states/UTs and scientific institutions, ensuring a transparent, inclusive and future ready system.He urged fishermen to organise themselves into cooperatives for growth, apply for the access pass, and benefit from the EEZ rules, as the fish catch by any Indian vessel in the EEZ/high seas is duty-free as announced in the Union Budget for 2026-27.Singh highlighted the government’s investments in various welfare schemes, safety systems such as transponders for real time tracking, and PFZ (potential fishing zone) advisories that save lives and improve productivity. He also emphasized on the Joint Working Group with the Ministry of Cooperation to strengthen fisheries cooperatives and expand opportunities in deep sea fisheries.The minister also distributed safety kits to the fishermen including life jackets, high-beam torches, and GPS devices followed by distribution of Rs 2 lakh grant to the newly formed fisheries cooperative societies in Gujarat.India, with an EEZ spanning nearly 24 lakh square kilometres, possesses enormous potential for marine fisheries development, livelihood generation, and export expansion. The bulk of fishing activity by Indian vessels continues to remain confined to waters within 40-50 nautical miles from the coast.The vast EEZ beyond this range remains significantly under-utilized, despite scientific assessments indicating substantial potential, particularly for high-value oceanic resources such as tuna and tuna-like species. To unlock this potential, the Centre had earlier notified the Sustainable Harnessing of Fisheries in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), 2025 Rules on November 4, 2025, in line with the Union Budget 2025–26 announcement.