Panaji, Jan 28 (IANS): For India to beef up its marine exports, it is essential to tap the seas in and around the Andaman and Nicobar islands for sustainable deep fishing, Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said on Saturday.

"India has the potential to become a seafood superpower and the goal of 20 per cent growth or doubling of the export volumes will not be difficult if we tap into this potential fully," the former Defence Minister said.

Parrikar was speaking at the 21st edition of the biennial India International Seafood Show that opened in Margao town, 35 km south of Panaji, on Saturday.

Parrikar said there was ample scope to explore sustainable deep-sea fishing off the Andaman and Nicobar islands, adding however that there was a need to address the phenomena like seawater pollution from chemical fertiliser wash-off, over-exploitation of existing fishing zones, damage to breeding grounds, etc., by the marine industry stakeholders.

Nearly 3,000 delegates are participating in the event which aims at generating business, and showcasing products, automation technologies and machinery related to sea-food processing.