The government has agreed to consider the demand of fishermen to provide alternate livelihood means to those who abandon the practice of using purse seine nets.
Minister for Tourism Malladi Krishna Rao, who also holds the Fisheries portfolio, told a delegation of fishermen association that their demand for providing alternative livelihood means would be considered if they stop the practice of using purse seine nets.
Mr. Rao informed the members about the Centre’s firm stance on curbing the use of purse seine nets. Neighbouring States such as Tamil Nadu had started a crackdown on fishermen using such nets. The Minister said there was no other option for the government but to start cracking down on the practice. There are around 3,000 families in the Union Territory involved in fishing using the banned nets. The Minister suggested tuna fishing as an alternative practice. The fishermen, however, expressed apprehension as this involved huge expenditure to modernise boats. They said the existing boats needed to be altered for tuna fishing and it would cost them ₹5 to ₹10 lakh. The Minister promised to look into their grievances and find a solution.
A senior official, who attended the meeting, told The Hindu that the administration has to prevent use of the nets as the practice invariably kills small marine species. The use of such nets was a threat to marine ecology, the official added.