Indian aquaculture production  is estimated to touch a record seven lakh tonnes during the current fiscal and reach one million tonnes by 2020, N Padmanabhan, president, Seafood Exporters Association of India (SEAI) said. He added the total seafood exports would reach Rs 40,000 crores by the end of the fiscal. He was speaking at the 21st edition of the India International Seafood Show (IISS) in Goa. He requested the government to accord agriculture status to both capture and culture fisheries to sustain growth. Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar, who inaugurated the three-day flagship trade event organised by the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) and the SEAI, said while the east coast, especially Andhra Pradesh, was leaping ahead in culture fisheries, the fishing communities in the west coast could do with more guidance from organisations such as MPEDA to enhance their contribution to exports. Parrikar said India should also do more to make use of the fishing potential along the under-used but large Andaman and Nicobar coastline, explore sustainable deep sea fishing and address issues such as seawater pollution from chemical fertilizer wash off, overexploitation of existing fishing zones and damage to breeding grounds. “India has the potential to become a seafood superpower and the goal of 20% growth or doubling of the export volumes will not be as difficult if we tap into this potential fully,” he added. In 2016-17 India exported 11,34,948 MT of seafood, principally frozen shrimp and frozen fish, worth Rs 37,870.90 crore. Provisional export figures for April-November 2017 have shown an increase of 18.72% and 15.16% respectively, in volume and value (in $) of seafood exports.