India Launches First Fully Digitised National Marine Fisheries Census 2025
Union Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying George Kurian on Friday launched the National Marine Fisheries Census (MFC) 2025, the first-ever fully digitised and real-time enumeration exercise in the country’s fisheries sector.
Kochi, November 1: Marking a milestone in the digital transformation of India’s fisheries governance, Union Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying George Kurian on Friday launched the National Marine Fisheries Census (MFC) 2025, the first-ever fully digitised and real-time enumeration exercise in the country’s fisheries sector.
The launch event, held at the ICAR–Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), inaugurated the 45-day nationwide census that will cover 1.2 million fisher households across 4,000 marine villages in nine coastal states and four Union Territories.
Kurian urged enumerators to ensure that all fishermen and fish workers are registered on the National Fisheries Digital Platform (NFDP), calling it a prerequisite for availing benefits under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Kisan Samridhi Sah-Yojana (PM-MKSSY). Registration, he said, could be conveniently completed through Common Service Centres (CSCs).
“This edition marks a major technological shift as the first fully digitised data collection in the history of Indian fisheries,” Kurian said, describing the exercise as a landmark step toward data-driven and transparent fisheries management.
Smart Census, Smarter Fisheries
The Minister highlighted that live data collection and monitoring have already begun, with real-time field updates from Maharashtra and Kerala displayed at the launch venue. The process uses VyAS Bharat and VyAS Sutra, two mobile applications developed by CMFRI for geo-tagged, real-time data capture and verification. These tools will enable seamless data flow from the field to central servers, ensuring accuracy, transparency, and faster processing.
The Census is coordinated by the Department of Fisheries (DoF) under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), with CMFRI serving as the nodal agency and the Fishery Survey of India (FSI) as the operational partner.
Kurian also encouraged all state fisheries departments and local bodies to support the “Smart Census, Smarter Fisheries” initiative, noting that accurate, real-time data will help formulate targeted policies for the welfare of fishers and sustainable marine development.
Highlighting the government’s efforts to modernize the marine sector, the Minister said transponders and turtle excluder devices are being installed free of cost for the benefit of fishermen.
Senior officials, including Dr Abhilaksh Likhi, Union Fisheries Secretary, Dr Ajay Srivastava, Economic Advisor to the Ministry, and directors of CMFRI, CIFT, and FSI, participated in the event, which concluded with a national workshop featuring state presentations and interactions with fishermen representatives.
The National Marine Fisheries Census 2025 is expected to set a new benchmark in digital, inclusive, and science-led fisheries governance in India.
