Harnessing artisanal prowess in offshore fisheries: The case of Thoothoor fishers from India.

India's National Policy on Marine Fisheries (2017) has stressed on the need for seaward expansion of fishing to harness the potential of the deep sea and oceanic waters, given that the fishery resources from the near-shore waters are almost fully utilized. Against this backdrop, this paper undertakes a socio-economic analysis of offshore fishing being carried out by the artisanal fishing community based at Thoothoor on the Southwest coast of India. This is juxtaposed with an overview of India's offshore and deep sea resource potential as well as the policy and infrastructural context. The findings points to the need for strengthening small-scale fishers' capacity in exploring the offshore areas of the country with due regard to safety and sustainability concerns. • Major milestones in India's offshore and deep sea fishing development programme is reviewed. • The case of Thoothoor fishers of Southwest India is taken to analyze the economic performance of artisanal offshore fishing. • Technology and policy interventions for uplifting Thoothoor fishers are presented. • The need for strengthening offshore artisanal fishing with due regard to safety and sustainability is highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]