With the Fisheries Department seizing banned suruku valai, retta madi and kuthusivalai nets from fishermen in several districts, experts are questioning the manner in which the Marine Fishing Regulation Act is being implemented. Retta madi valai are double the length of usual nets and if two boats drag them simultaneously, double the horsepower would be available to trawl all the fish in the vicinity, explained a fisherman.
‘Ban imports’
“The ban on these nets has been in place for quite a few years but fishermen somehow manage to get them. Boats with illegal Chinese engines are used to drag retta madi nets. In a matter of 3-4 days, several tonnes of fish are easily caught,” explained a former official of the fisheries department.
This is peak fishing season and officials say that they have only been following orders. “Fishermen can make retta madi nets easily. But suruku valai cannot be made. Machinery is required for those. But with the flow of nets from China considerably reducing, the factories in Nagercoil area are concentrating on manufacturing nets,” explained a source in the net industry.
Recently, around 25 boats from Tamil Nadu were caught by fishermen in Andhra Pradesh for using banned engines and nets. The lack of proper enforcement of the Marine Fishing Regulation Act to control such illegal activities, including unregistered boats, was pointed out by a fishing industry expert.
Fisheries Minister D. Jayakumar said that the nets were being seized as part of a drive to prevent over-fishing.