Government agencies, scientists, exporters, and global sustainability partners unite at Annual Stakeholder Consultation to chart path toward MSC certification.
KOCHI, India — Kerala’s seafood sector has launched a major sustainability push, unveiling a comprehensive draft state fisheries management plan and a digital tracking framework to capture a larger share of the growing global market for responsibly sourced seafood.
At a high-level stakeholder summit hosted by the Seafood Exporters Association of India (SEAI) on Willingdon Island, government officials, marine scientists, and exporters agreed to a unified roadmap designed to earn prestigious Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification for the state’s key shrimp and cephalopod fisheries within the year.
Central to the initiative is the new Draft Keralam State Fisheries Management Plan, developed by scientists at the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI). The plan introduces science-backed harvest control rules and gear restrictions designed to prevent juvenile overfishing and boost long-term marine productivity across the Arabian Sea.
“International retailers are increasingly demanding certified sustainable seafood,” said Dr. K. N. Raghavan, CEO of SEAI. “This unified framework ensures that Kerala seafood remains highly competitive, fully compliant, and recognised globally for responsible practices.”
Digital Tracking and Next-Gen Enforcement
To meet stringent international trade standards, the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) announced it will launch mandatory online registration for all local fish dealers and aggregators next month. The system will create an end-to-end digital audit trail from coastal landing centres directly to processing plants.
Concurrently, the Kerala Department of Fisheries is deploying digital trawl footprint tracking and a mobile enforcement application, alongside making square-mesh codends mandatory to protect juvenile fish stocks.
Innovations backed by the MSC Ocean Stewardship Fund and presented by the ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (ICAR-CIFT) demonstrate that modified trawl gear is already yielding significant reductions in fuel consumption, carbon emissions, and non-target bycatch across the deep-sea fleet.
Strengthening Global Compliance
To build on this momentum, industry leaders outlined concrete steps to bring Kerala’s fleet in line with key global benchmarks—including accelerating the adoption of Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) to match near-100 percent implementation rates seen in states like Gujarat and Odisha, securing full access to the U.S. wild-caught shrimp market.
To support vessel upgrades, certification costs, and community outreach, stakeholders are mobilising Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds from public sector enterprises like Cochin Shipyard, supported by national initiatives such as the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY).
The draft plan will be formally submitted to the Government of Kerala for final policy endorsement, backed by a multi-agency scientific data-sharing agreement and coastal capacity-building programmes launching next month.
Key participants and leadership representing pivotal institutions attended the consultation, including Smt. Chelsasini V, IAS, Director of Fisheries, Government of Kerala; Dr. George Ninan, Director of ICAR-CIFT; Mr. A. J. Tharakan, Chair of KFCCS; and Dr. K. N. Raghavan, CEO of SEAI, who moderated the high-level discussion. The session featured core presentations and insights from Dr. Vineetha Aravind (FIP Coordinator), Dr. V. R. Madhu (ICAR-CIFT), Dr. Anju (Deputy Director, MPEDA), Mr. Xavier Lawrence (Odakku), Mr. Vivek Lawrence (Geo Seafoods), and Mr. Premachandra Bhat (President, SEAI Kerala Region). The event brought together senior officials and representatives from the Department of Fisheries (Government of India), ICAR-CMFRI, Fishery Survey of India (FSI), NETFISH, WWF–India, Sustainable Seafood Network of India (SSNI) led by Chair Dr. Sunil Mohamed, Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), London-based Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI), alongside Mr. Joseph Xavier Kalapurakkal (General Secretary, Federation of Fishing Boats & Fishery Industries, Kerala), seafood processors, exporters, and fishing industry leaders.