The fishers in traditional and mechanised sectors have locked horns over the annual fishing ban that begins in the East Coast States on April 15.
A proposal to merge the lockdown days with the ban period, allowing mechanised vessels to resume operations three weeks early, has not gone down well with traditional fishers who believe it will wreck the marine ecosystem. Meanwhile, boat owners from the State, one of the West Coast States where the trawl ban comes into effect from June 1, have approached the Centre to call off the ban as a one-time measure to revive the pandemic-hit seafood industry.
Stagnant since January
“The mechanised sector became nearly stagnant from January due to the dip in exports and we had completely stopped operations after the lockdown. During the past three months there was minimal activity and we want the authorities the to call off the ban this year considering this,” says Peter Mathias, president, All Kerala Fishing Boat Operators Association.
The mechanised sector is keen on getting the ban lifted since they anticipate enormous export demand as overseas cargo movement improves.
“Trawlers mainly cater to the export industry and a lot of others, including processors, ice plants, peeling units and vendors are dependent on us. If the ban is not lifted, we will lose a golden chance to revive our country’s economy and we feel banning trawlers immediately after the COVID-19 crisis will cause irreparable damage to the industry,” Mr. Mathias said
He adds that around 2.5 lakh vessels across India will have to stay idle during the ban period.
Traditional fishers’ view
According to traditional fishers, changing the dates will beat the purpose of the ban that was introduced to conserve the fishery resources and protect the habitat during the spawning season.
“It is the time during which the marine stock gets replenished and blocking it will affect the sector in long-term. According to the proposal, the ban period for the East Coast should be considered to have begun from March 24 which is unacceptable from the environmental perspective. Just like all other sectors, the lockdown has affected the entire population engaged in fishing and allied activities. Lifting the ban early or cancelling it altogether will create serious repercussions since it’s not environmentally sustainable,” says T.Peter, general secretary, National Fishworkers’ Forum.
The lockdown has also affected a large section of traditional fishers who could not venture into the sea since several restrictions were in place.
“The lockdown has hit all stakeholders in the sector uniformly. So instead of protecting the short-term interests of mechanised sector, we should think about the future. To preserve the marine environment and ensure sustainability it’s very important to maintain the ban in both coasts,” he adds.