The All Kerala Fishing Boat Operators Association on Wednesday submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan drawing his attention to the new provision introduced by the Fisheries and Ports Department in September hiking the fee for registration and annual licence, beside the deposit, of fishing boats.
Pointing out the hike in fee for different services from April to September, the association alleges that the government decision lacks any rationale and fishers are unreasonably harassed with impractical laws.
“Strict implementation of the newly formed rules put the fishing folk in peril. When neighbouring States venture into our sea waters without observing the parameters set by us,they take the sea resources and bring them back to our fishing markets, ” they say. The fishers argue that while all other States are supporting the sector by giving concessions, Kerala has imposed a 10-fold rise in the fee. The State of Gujarat is giving diesel to fishing vessels at ₹12 less per litre and Maharashtra gives ₹90,000 per boat, they say.
Discrimination
They point out that there is discrimination in the implementation of the penalty clauses between traditional mechanised boats and mechanised fishing vessels.
“The penalty for encroaching on the stipulated area of fishing which is not demarcated and catching juvenile fish along with big ones inadvertently is ₹2,50,000. The 12 nautical mile distance from shore is not marked anywhere. An accidental slip to the precluded area immediately attracts the penalty and so is the presence of small fish in the catch,” they say.
Employment
According to the association, the mechanised fishing vessels of Kerala directly give employment to 60,000 workers and more than 1,50,000 indirectly depend on the sector for their survival.
The association’s demands include subsidy for diesel and slashing of fee to match the same in other States along with steps to drop fabricated cases against boat owners.