Sri Vijaya Puram | January 17, 2026
The Island Sea Food Festival–2026, celebrating the rich flavours, traditions and cultural heritage of the sea, concluded on Friday at the Marina Park stretch road with enthusiastic public participation. The two-day festival was organised by the Department of Fisheries in association with the Information, Publicity & Tourism (IP&T) Department, Andaman & Nicobar Administration, with financial support from the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB), Hyderabad. The event placed special emphasis on Tuna Cluster Development in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
Held on the theme “Safe, Wholesome & Sustainable Seafood for All,” the festival highlighted the importance of responsible fishing practices, food safety and sustainable seafood consumption.
Secretary (Fisheries), Ms. Jyoti Kumari, IAS, who was the chief guest at the closing ceremony, expressed gratitude to the general public for their overwhelming support. In her address, she highlighted the various stakeholders involved in the fisheries value chain, including fishermen, fish traders, processors, local vendors, restaurants, hotels and consumers. She also spoke about the vast seafood potential of the islands and assured that such events would be organised more frequently to promote tourism and provide a platform for islanders to showcase local seafood delicacies. She thanked the A&N Administration for enabling the Fisheries Department to organise the festival and distributed prizes to winners of competitions held as part of the event, in the presence of Director (Fisheries) Ms. Jagtap Kalyani Rajendra.
Addressing the gathering, the Director (Fisheries) thanked stall owners and self-help groups (SHGs) for their active participation and for contributing to the success of the festival.
A large number of visitors thronged the venue on the concluding day, where a wide range of fisheries-related activities, products and services were showcased. The stalls featured live, fresh, chilled and frozen fish, value-added fish products, seafood cuisines, aquariums, fish feed, essential fisheries requisites and sport fishing services. The festival also offered cultural entertainment, with artistes from Balakrishna Nritya Academy and Lead band (live band) captivating the audience with colourful performances.
