First Fully Digitised National Marine Fisheries Census 2025 Launched

In a significant step towards data-driven fisheries management, the Union Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Shri George Kurian, launched the household enumeration phase of the National Marine Fisheries Census (MFC) 2025 at the ICAR–Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), Kochi.

The MFC 2025 marks a historic milestone as it becomes India’s first fully digitised fisheries census, introducing modern technology and real-time monitoring to collect data from marine fishing communities across the country.

A Nationwide Digital Census Initiative

The 45-day enumeration exercise will be conducted from November 3 to December 18, 2025, covering:

• Over 1.2 million fisher households
• Across 4,000 marine fishing villages
• Spanning nine coastal states and four Union Territories

Thousands of trained field staff will participate in the census, ensuring comprehensive and accurate data collection at the grassroots level.

Technological Revolution in Fisheries Governance

Launching the event, Minister George Kurian emphasized the importance of registering all fishermen and fish workers on the National Fisheries Digital Platform (NFDP) — a mandatory step to avail benefits under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Kisan Samridhi Sah-Yojana (PM-MKSSY).

The 2025 census introduces a fully digital data collection system through two custom-built mobile applications — VyAS Bharat and VyAS Sutra, developed by CMFRI.
These tools enable:

• Real-time data collection
• Geo-referencing of fishing villages
• Instant verification and central monitoring

This live monitoring system was demonstrated during the launch, showcasing real-time data streaming from Maharashtra and Kerala.

Smart Census, Smarter Fisheries

The census is being coordinated by the Department of Fisheries (DoF) under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, as part of the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY).

• CMFRI serves as the nodal agency.
• Fishery Survey of India (FSI) acts as the operational partner.

Minister Kurian urged state fisheries departments, local bodies, and community organisations to support this initiative, calling it a “Smart Census for Smarter Fisheries.”