Kochi, CMFRI has prepared India’s draft National Guidelines for Marine Eco-Labeling, proposing a comprehensive framework to regulate seafood sustainability certification programs and enhance the global competitiveness of marine products in the country.
The draft, released as a discussion paper, comes amid growing demand for internationally recognized sustainability certifications for Indian seafood and increasing interest from global certification agencies in the country, ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute said in a statement on Tuesday.
One of the key features of the proposed guidelines is to protect the interests of the country’s fishing community while promoting environmental sustainability and facilitating access to premium markets for Indian seafood products, she said.
The draft recognizes that although eco-labeling can help fisheries access high-value international markets and improve returns for fishermen, market-driven certification systems may create barriers for small-scale and traditional fishing communities.
To address this issue, the proposed framework calls for the equitable participation of traditional fishers and artisans in certification processes, ensuring that legitimate stakeholders are not excluded from the benefits of eco-labeling.
Ecolabel certification verifies that fish and fish products come from sustainable and responsibly managed fisheries.
India currently has no national mechanism to regulate such certification processes, even as several international agencies have shown interest in operating in the country, she said.
According to CMFRI, the proposed guidelines seek to ensure that certification schemes operate in line with India’s fisheries laws, sustainability priorities and socio-economic realities.
The draft also reaffirms the country’s sovereign rights over marine fisheries resources within its exclusive economic zone and stipulates that all certification activities must comply with national and state fisheries regulations, biodiversity conservation laws, seafood safety standards and coastal aquaculture standards.
It also emphasizes traceability across the seafood value chain and explores the possibility of developing an indigenous Indian marine eco-label that can complement globally recognized certification systems, the statement added.
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