It is my privilege to welcome you to the Department of Fisheries and Fishermen Welfare, Government of Tamil Nadu. The Fisheries sector plays an important role in the socio-economic development of the state by providing livelihood to large number of fishers, generating employment opportunities in allied sectors and ensuring nutritional security. Tamil Nadu is a leading state endowed with Marine, Brackish water and Inland fishery resources amenable for capture and culture fisheries.

Tamil Nadu is blessed with 1,076 km coastal length (13% of country’s coastal length) and 3.85 lakh hectare Inland water resources suitable for both capture and culture fisheries. The fishery resources of the State supports the livelihood of 10.48 lakh marine fisherfolk and 2.36 lakh inland fisherfolk. Fisheries sector in Tamil Nadu has shown impressive growth with an average annual growth rate of 7.02% during the last three years. During the year 2023-24, the sector contributed 7.49% to the State's agricultural GDP. During the year 2023-24, marine fish production of the State was 6.37 lakh MT with a total fish production of 8.84 lakh MT. The fisheries sector contributed Rs.6,854.22 crore to foreign exchange earnings by exporting 1.34 lakh tonnes of fish and related products during the year 2023-24.

The Government accord top most priority towards the welfare of the fishers and various schemes are implemented by the Department to uplift the socioeconomic status of fisherfolk. The Government focuses on use of advanced technologies and best management practices to increase the fish production in the State through expansion, intensification, diversification and productive utilization of available land and water resources.

The Indian Fisheries Act, 1897 enacted by the then Madras Presidency paved the way for the formulation of fisheries legislations across India. Conservation of fishery resources and effective implementation of Tamil Nadu Marine Fishing Regulation Act (TNMFR), 1983 are the key activities of the Government to maintain the fishery resources in a sustainable manner. For the sustainable utilization of the underexploited deep sea fishery resources, incentivizing deep sea fishing is being carried out by the Government on a larger scale. To augment the quality and quantity of fish production in the State, the Government invests in necessary infrastructure facilities such as fishing harbours, fish landing centers, Inland fish production and rearing centres and fish marketing facilities.