Over a thousand unlicensed Chinese nets (commonly called dip nets) in the picturesque Kumbalanghi backwaters are slated to be dismantled by the Fisheries Department early November following a Kerala High Court directive.
Traditional fishers across the political spectrum have welcomed the decision and called it ‘long overdue’ and in the best interest of artisanal fishers, who depend on the backwaters for a living.
In solidarity
“Dip nets in the Kumbalanghi backwaters have broken all the regulations governing inland fisheries. They have disrupted normal activities of traditional fishers, and small boat owners will be mobilised to display solidarity with the departmental action,” said State convener of Fisheries Coordination Committee Charles George in support of the decision to dismantle the nets.
“It has become an industry disrupting movement of boats and traditional fishing activities by those who live close to the backwaters,” said P.K. Shivadattan, social activist and former president of the Kumbalanghi grama panchayat.
But dip net owner Paul Kannamchery differs. “It is a livelihood means. If they are being dismantled, the government must direct us to some other means of daily sustenance,” he said.
Panchayat president Martin Anthony welcomed the high court order and said the dip nets should be taken away. However, some consideration should be given to small fishers, who live off the backwaters using these nets, he added.
Rampant violations
Mr. George said that dip nets in the Kumbalangi backwaters rampantly violated rules regarding the distance from the shore at which they can be erected; that a person should not own more than one net; that they should be erected at specified distance from each other, and that they should not use lights of more than 100-W capacity.
“However, people from different walks of life have turned dip nets into an investment, some of them reportedly owning more than a dozen of them. They deploy workers from other States on a purely commercial basis,” he said. “There were just 74 dip nets in the Kumbalanghi backwaters in 2010. The number has now gone up to more than a thousand,” he added.
Most of the nets are located on the eastern side of the Kumbalanghi-Perumpadappu bridge running in northerly and southerly directions. In some of the areas, like the junction where the Aroor backwaters meet the Kumbalanghi backwaters, some nets have been erected across the backwaters totally blocking traffic and other fishing activities, alleged Mr. Shivadattan.
Fisheries Department sources said that the owners would first be asked to dismantle the nets on their own before it takes the action. The department would also issue a public notice via newspapers to the owners.