Supreme Court directs Tamil Nadu to formulate rules for fishing vessel transit to Exclusive Economic Zones
The Supreme Court of India has directed the Tamil Nadu government to establish a regulated navigation corridor for fishing vessels to access Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ). This ruling aims to balance the state's environmental regulations on purse seine fishing with the rights of fishers to operate in international waters.
Why it matters
The judgment clarifies the jurisdictional boundaries between state-level environmental protections and federal maritime economic rights, setting a precedent for cooperative federalism in resource management.
Urging co-operative federalism between the Centre and the State to regulate purse seine fishing, the Supreme Court on Wednesday (September 2, 2026) directed the Tamil Nadu government to frame rules to create a “specified channel” or official navigation corridor under the Marine Fishing Regulation Rules, 2020 for transit of vessels from its territorial waters to Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) for fishing using purse seine nets.
The direction by a Division Bench headed by Justices P.S. Narasimha and Alok Aradhe was part of a judgment which considered applications concerning the rights of fishermen using purse seine nets to access the EEZ beyond the territorial waters of the State of Tamil Nadu.
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