With the intensity of cyclone-induced rainfall subsiding, fishers in Nagapattinam district have started venturing into the sea after a gap of nearly a fortnight, albeit with adherence to distancing restrictions imposed by the Fisheries Department.
Those into deep sea fishing with mechanised boats have received instructions to return to the shore within three days, and to maintain daily contact either with the department or family members.
“Mechanised boats left the fishing harbours on Sunday and are expected to touch shores on Wednesday. The fishermen have been instructed to remain well within the range of the VHF sets supplied to them. The mechanised boat operators have been instructed not to venture beyond 35 nautical miles from the shore this entire month,” Joint Director of Fisheries Amal Raj Xavier said.
As for fishermen with fibre boats, the spells of heavy rainfall will help them to net shrimps in large quantities.
Measures are in place for smooth resumption of fish trade after the two consequent cyclones, he said.
However, resumption of dry fish manufacturing will take at least 10 more days, Mr. Amal Raj Xavier said.
Fishermen in the district net mostly dry sardines that have a huge market in Kerala. Though resumption of fishing activities has brought in huge relief, fishermen welfare organisations say the community is badly in need of government support to overcome loss of revenue for the days they have had to remain confined to the shores.
For more than 10 days, the fishermen had no other source of income. Most of the residents in low-lying fishing hamlets were evacuated to various flood relief centres where they were provided with food and shelter.
Representatives of fishermen welfare organisations are understood to have submitted petitions to State Ministers, who are in the district to oversee flood relief operations, to sanction funds and mitigate their hardship caused by economic distress.
