The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), under the Government of India, is mandated to provide services for weather, climate, ocean and coastal state, hydrology, seismology, and natural hazards; to explore and harness marine living and non-living resources in a sustainable manner for the country and to explore the three poles of the Earth (Arctic, Antarctic, and the Himalayas). MoES was formerly the Department of Ocean Development (DOD), which was created in July 1981 as a part of the Cabinet Secretariat directly under the charge of the Prime Minister of India. It came into existence as a separate department in March 1982. The erstwhile DOD functioned as a nodal institution for organizing, coordinating and promoting ocean development activities in the country. The Government of India notified DOD as the Ministry of Ocean Development in February 2006.

The Department of Fisheries (DoF) is one of the two Departments under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying. The Department is responsible for matters relating to the formulation of policy and schemes relating to the Development of Inland, Marine, and Coastal Fisheries and Fishery Institutes namely Fishery Survey of India Mumbai, Central Institute of Fisheries Nautical and Engineering Training (CIFNET), Kerala, Central Institute of Coastal Engineering For Fishery (CICEF), Bangalore, National Institute of Fisheries Post Harvest Technology and Training,(NIFPHATT), Kochi, National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB), Hyderabad, Coastal Aquaculture Authority, Chennai.