Sri Vijaya Puram, Sept.19: The Directorate of Fisheries has invited applications for leasing notified sea areas in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands for mariculture activities, including open sea cage culture, seaweed culture and pearl farming, with eligible applicants required to submit complete applications by October 15, 2026.
The leasing process covers designated sea areas notified by the Andaman and Nicobar Administration on September 19, 2025. The initiative allows a wide range of fisheries-linked applicants and entities to seek access to the notified areas for undertaking the specified mariculture activities.
Eligible applicants include fishers, fish farmers, fish workers and fish vendors, along with individual entrepreneurs and private firms. Self Help Groups (SHGs), Fisheries Cooperatives, Joint Liability Groups (JLGs), and Fish Farmers Producer Organizations/Companies (FFPOS/FFPCs) can also apply under the process.
Applicants can seek leases for activities covered under the notified framework, namely Open Sea Cage Culture, Seaweed farming and Pearl culture. The prescribed application form, details of the designated sea areas and the terms and conditions governing the three activities have been made available through the official websites of the Andaman and Nicobar Administration and the Department of Fisheries.
The Administration has stated that interested parties must submit their applications along with all required documents either physically or electronically. Physical applications can be submitted at the Directorate of Fisheries, Sri Vijaya Puram, or at the Zonal Fisheries Offices in South Andaman, N&M Andaman and Nicobar.
Applicants can also submit their completed applications through email at dirfish.and@nic.in.
The Directorate has set October 15, 2026, as the deadline for submission. Applications must be submitted in the prescribed format along with the required documentation before the cut-off date.
The Department has also clarified that applicants who have already submitted their applications need not submit fresh applications.
The prescribed application form, notified sea-area details and detailed conditions for Open Sea Cage Culture, Seaweed farming and Pearl culture are available on the official website of the Andaman and Nicobar Administration at andamannicobar.gov.in and the Department of Fisheries website at anifisheries.andamannicobar.gov.in.
The leasing process provides eligible fisheries stakeholders, community groups and other permitted entities an opportunity to apply for designated marine areas for the notified mariculture activities, subject to the applicable terms and conditions.
