Subject Preference: GS Paper III (Economy – Blue Economy) & Geography
- The Basics: The Centre notified the “Sustainable Harnessing of Fisheries in the EEZ Rules, 2025” to regulate fishing between 12 and 200 nautical miles from the coast.
- Key Features:
- Access Pass: Mechanized vessels now need a digital "Access Pass" via the ReALCRaft portal.
- Sustainability: Bans harmful practices like LED-light fishing and bull trawling.
- Fisher-folk Demands: Traditional fishers are demanding representation in policy bodies to ensure that "Deep Sea Fishing" policies don't favor large corporate trawlers over artisanal cooperatives.
- UPSC Insight: Focus on the UNCLOS (UN Convention on the Law of the Sea) definitions: Territorial Sea (12 nm), Contiguous Zone (24 nm), and EEZ (200 nm).
IAS-2026 - OPTIONAL / GEOGRAPHY / PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION / SOCIOLOGY / ANTHROPOLOGY / ORIENTATION ON 03 & 04-10-2025 
