Written by PPL Newsroom• October 8, 2026• 8:56 am• Business & Sustainability

Only 6 of 50 sanctioned deep-sea boats run in Andhra Pradesh, govt data show

Mongabay India’s new series asks whether the Deep Sea Fishing Vessel Scheme is moving traditional fishers offshore as planned. Official figures show a gap.

A new investigation by Mongabay India, the first in a series produced with the Pulitzer Center’s Ocean Reporting Network, examines the Deep Sea Fishing Vessel Scheme. The scheme is meant to help traditional fishers move beyond crowded coastal waters. Official figures from the Union government suggest a gap between boats approved on paper and boats actually at sea. In Andhra Pradesh, the Department of Fisheries has sanctioned 50 deep-sea vessels, but the state government reports that only six are operational.

How the scheme works

The vessels are funded under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), the flagship fisheries scheme. The unit cost is ₹1.20 crore per vessel, with a 40% subsidy for general-category beneficiaries and 60% for SC/ST and women beneficiaries. On those figures, a general-category fisher would still need to find 60% of the cost, or ₹72 lakh, from loans, state support or savings.

An earlier version of the scheme in Tamil Nadu shows how the money is split. On a unit cost of ₹80 lakh, the Centre paid 50%, the state 20% and a financial institution 20%, leaving the beneficiary to contribute ₹8 lakh.

The numbers so far

According to a Press Information Bureau release, the scheme made provision of ₹734.40 crore for 918 deep-sea vessels for traditional fishers. The same release says that between 2021-22 and 2023-24, the department approved ₹554.25 crore of proposals. These covered 349 new vessels and the upgrade of 903 existing ones for export competency. Approval is only the first step. A sanctioned vessel still has to be built, financed, crewed and sent to sea, and the Andhra Pradesh figures show how far that process can lag.

Separate rules on access to the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) give a wider picture. India’s external affairs ministry notified them on 4 November 2025. Traditional and small-scale fishers are exempt, while mechanised and large motorised vessels need a free access pass through an online portal. By 5 March 2026, 707 passes had been issued. Gujarat accounted for 274 and Andhra Pradesh for 162. These passes cover all eligible vessels, not only those bought under the subsidy scheme.

Why fishers are heading offshore

The push is driven partly by pressure close to shore. A 2024 Mongabay report found that rising sea surface temperatures, overfishing and reef destruction have depleted nearshore fisheries, forcing fishers farther out to sea where risks are greater. Jhonny, a deep-sea fisherman from Thoothoor in Tamil Nadu, put it simply: “Earlier, fish was coming to the shore but now we have to go after the fish.” The same report noted that a common danger is straying into another country’s waters, which can lead to boats being seized and crews jailed.

What happens next

The government is pairing vessels with training and a focus on tuna. In 2025-26, 112 fishers from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep trained on survey vessels in longline operations. The new rules also allow a mother-and-child vessel model, which is expected to benefit the two island groups, together holding 49 per cent of India’s EEZ. Further instalments of the Mongabay India series are due to look at the sector in more detail.

What this means for India

India’s coastline supports millions of fishing livelihoods, and nearshore stocks are under strain. Deep-sea vessels are one route the government has chosen to ease that pressure. The Andhra Pradesh figures show that sanctioning boats and putting them to work are different tasks. The cost of ₹1.20 crore per vessel is also large for a small-scale fisher, even with a subsidy. Readers can watch for state-wise data on how many sanctioned vessels are actually fishing.