Tension is running high in the fisheries sector as traditional fishermen have come out against boat operators who are on an agitation against the government crackdown on juvenile fishing.
Even as the All Kerala Fishing Boat Operators Association (AKFBOA) threatens to escalate its ongoing stir against the harassment and penalisation of fishing vessels by fisheries officials, traditional fishermen have formed a joint action council demanding stern action to curb juvenile fishing, which they believe, is one of the primary reasons for the decline in fish stocks.
Action Council convener and vice president Kerala Swathantra Matsya Thozhilali Federation S. Stephen said traditional fishermen belonging to various unions were on the warpath. The council has begun an agitation supporting the crackdown on juvenile fishing. “Our vessels are not going out to sea from the Thangassery harbour for three days.” The council has threatened to extend the stir to Kochi and other coastal areas as well.
The Fisheries Department had stepped up action against juvenile fishing after the government imposed ‘minimum legal size’ (MLS) restrictions on fishing of 58 marine species based on the recommendation of the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI). The regulation was introduced as it was found that tonnes of juvenile fishes were being caught by mechanised fishing vessels for fish meal plants outside Kerala.
But ever since the crackdown began, enforcement officials have faced the ire of boat operators who feel that they are being unfairly penalised for accidental catch of juveniles. AKFBOA points out that the CMFRI had recommended action against boats only if juvenile fish constituted more than 50% of the total catch.
Earlier this month, several persons were injured in a skirmish at Vypeen after boat operators tried to free two trawler boats that were confiscated by the Marine Police for juvenile fishing.
Traditional fishermen, however, argue that any dilution of the regulations on juvenile fishing would affect the long-term sustainability of fisheries resources.
Meanwhile, the National Fishworkers Forum (NFF) is stepping up pressure on the Centre to declare a country-wide ban on juvenile fishing. Boat operators admit that standardisation of fishing vessels and gear is imperative across the coastal States if juvenile fishing is to be regulated.
Efforts by the State to bring other south Indian States on board have failed to yield results.
