Aimed at streamlining seafood certification and enhancing global competitiveness for the country’s marine products, the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) has prepared a draft for India’s national guidelines for marine eco-labeling.

The draft in the form of a discussion paper proposes a blue print for a comprehensive national framework for regulating and overseeing marine eco-labeling programmes operating in India.

It assumes greater significance at a time when demand for globally recognized sustainability certification of Indian seafood products is growing and many international certification agencies are set to expand their presence in the country.

One of the major highlights of the framework is that it seeks to safeguard the interest of country’s fishing communities while promoting environmental sustainability through eco-labeling, thereby facilitating the Indian seafood premium access to international markets. The eco-label certification is a proof that fish and fishery products originate from sustainable and responsibly managed fisheries.

India currently lacks a national mechanism to govern such certification process, though several global agencies are already active for exploring opportunities in India. The proposed draft ensures such certification schemes operate in alignment with Indian fisheries laws, sustainability priorities and socio-economic realities.

The framework recognises that while eco-labeling can open access to premium international markets and potentially improve returns for fishers, it can also create barriers for small-scale and traditional fishing communities if left entirely to market-driven certification systems.

Considering this, the draft guidelines mandate ensuring equitable stakes of traditional and artisanal fishers in the certification processes, thereby ruling out any chances of excluding legitimate stakeholders from eco-labelling benefits.

The CMFRI draft underscore India’s sovereign rights over marine fisheries resources within its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and insist that all certification activities must comply with national and state fisheries regulations, biodiversity conservation laws, seafood safety standards and coastal aquaculture regulations. It also focuses on traceability throughout the seafood value chain.

The document further explores the possibility of developing an indigenous Indian marine eco-label that could complement recognised international certification systems.

Published on June 16, 2026