India cleared to join Southern Indian Ocean Fisheries Agreement (SIOFA) as Central Government approves accession

Key facts

• The Central Government has approved India's accession to the Southern Indian Ocean Fisheries Agreement (SIOFA), a strategic milestone in global fisheries governance.
• India has been a Cooperating Non-Contracting Party (CNCP) of SIOFA since 2022, with limited participation in decision-making bodies such as the Scientific Committee and Compliance Committee; accession as a Contracting Party enables full participation.
• Following accession, Indian-flagged fishing vessels can undertake authorised fishing of squids, toothfish, alfonsino, and other non-migratory fish stocks within SIOFA's jurisdiction.
• Accession will strengthen national coastal security through involvement in the High Seas Boarding and Inspection (HSBI) Scheme adopted under SIOFA, and support prevention of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
• The High Seas constitute about 65% of the global ocean, dominated by China (21%), Taiwan (13%), Japan (11%), South Korea (11%), and Spain (8%).
• India has been a Contracting Party to the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) since 1996; the IOTC and SIOFA are the two major Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs) in the Indian Ocean.
• The Government of India issued Guidelines for High Sea Fisheries in December 2025, preceding this accession initiative.
• The SIOFA Agreement covers fish, molluscs, crustaceans, and other sedentary species, but excludes highly migratory species under Annex I of UNCLOS and sedentary species under coastal state jurisdiction per Article 77(4) of UNCLOS.