Pole and line: the tuna fishery found only in Lakshadweep, and a lagoon far bigger than the land

Background

Against a land area of just 32 sq km, Lakshadweep has a vast lagoon covering 4,200 square kilometers, territorial waters spanning 20,000 square kilometers, an Exclusive Economic Zone of 400,000 square kilometers and a coastal line of approximately 132 kilometers. Tuna is the primary fishery resource in these islands. The islands employ a unique fishing method known as Pole and Line, which exclusively targets tuna, and this method is found only in Lakshadweep within the Indian continent. The Department of Fisheries was established during 1959. Fish production has risen steadily from a modest 500 tonnes in the 1950s to 16891 metric tonnes in 2024-25. Anchored Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) have been deployed in selective territorial waters; they attract pelagic fish like tuna and bring fuel savings, reduced scouting time and greater safety during fishing operations. Processing is being revived through the Tuna Canning Factory at Minicoy, and two islands, Chetlat and Minicoy, have been selected under the Climate Resilient Coastal Fishing Village Scheme. On land the picture is very different: coconut is the only crop of economic importance in Lakshadweep, grown in varieties such as Laccadive micro and Laccadive ordinary.