India and Seychelles on Wednesday, 26 August held a high-level bilateral meeting in New Delhi to deepen cooperation in fisheries and aquaculture, with artificial intelligence in harvest management and digital fisheries data systems emerging as centrepiece areas for collaboration. The discussions, hosted by India's Department of Fisheries, signal a significant upgrade in the two nations' maritime partnership within the Indian Ocean region.

Key Developments from the Bilateral Meeting

The Seychelles delegation was led by Minister of Fisheries, Agriculture and Blue Economy Wallace Cosgrow, while the Indian side was headed by Fisheries Secretary Abhilaksh Likhi. Both delegations reviewed existing cooperation frameworks and charted a roadmap for sustainable utilisation of marine resources, with fisheries and the broader blue economy identified as drivers of economic growth, rural employment, and sustainable development.

India highlighted its strong sectoral standing, noting that domestic fish production has reached 19.7 million tonnes and seafood exports are valued at $8.46 billion, according to the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.

Technology and AI at the Core of Cooperation

Digital transformation emerged as a defining theme of the talks. The two sides discussed deploying AI in harvest management, building fisheries monitoring, control and surveillance infrastructure, and integrating modern fisheries data systems. This marks a shift from conventional bilateral fisheries agreements — which typically focus on access rights and quotas — toward a technology-first approach to resource governance.

Discussions also covered tuna fisheries optimisation, stock assessment, post-harvest engineering, modern hatchery development, marine aquaculture, and marine conservation — reflecting the breadth of India's ambitions in the blue economy space.

Trade, Value Chains and Knowledge Transfer

Beyond technology, both countries explored developing the tuna value chain through processing and product diversification, as well as sustainable fish-waste management. Knowledge transfer mechanisms discussed included technical studies, fisheries extension services, and institutional training programmes.

The sides also agreed on reciprocal laboratory access, joint pilot projects, regulatory alignment, and an annual work plan to ensure continuity of cooperation — moving beyond one-off diplomatic engagements toward a structured, results-oriented partnership.

MoU and Institutional Capacity Building

The Seychelles delegation expressed interest in expediting a bilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) specifically covering fisheries and aquaculture, along with an advanced work plan. Both countries agreed on the importance of mutual exposure visits, specialised technical exchanges, and leveraging their respective Centres of Excellence to build institutional capacity and share international best practices.

The meeting concluded with both sides reaffirming their commitment to translating bilateral cooperation into result-oriented action plans for promoting sustainable fisheries and long-term maritime prosperity in the Indian Ocean region. A formal MoU, if expedited, could set the template for India's blue economy diplomacy with other island nations.