Fishermen who ventured into the sea after the end of annual ban on fishing returned to the shore on Thursday.
Though the markets were flooded with the catch and crowds thronged to buy them, fishermen leader Jesu Raja said the catch was not encouraging.
The 61-day annual ban ended on June 14, but fishermen from Rameswaram, Mandapam and Thangachimadam did not set off into the sea the following day. For almost a fortnight, they took time to repair boats and fishnets. They also had to take Covid-19 vaccine. Hence, they ventured into the Palk Bay for fishing only on the night of June 29, he said.
On the reasons for the poor catch, Mr. Jesu Raja said the annual ban period, which was meant to encourage fish breeding, was misused by some country boat fishermen who ventured into the sea. Officials of the Fisheries Department should have been more vigilant.
On mechanised boats venturing into the sea without obtaining tokens from the department, he said it was unfortunate. “Our association in five districts, including Pudukottai, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, passed resolutions urging fishermen to follow regulations but they ventured into the sea on June 29 night.”
However, a mechanised boat owner, Anthony Jesu, from Thangachimadam said fishermen set off only on the first day after the end of ban in a bid to get the best catch from the seas.
CITU fishermen wing district secretary M. Karunamoorthy said Fisheries officials should take stern action against the violators and seize mechanised boats that did not get tokens. Venturing into the sea without tokens was high risk, especially when the Sri Lankan Navy was rude to fishermen.
The State government should determine the price for the fish on the lines of fixation for paddy and other produce. Export varieties were being procured by firms for a paltry ₹350 per kg, while it was being sold at ₹800 and above by them, Mr. Jesu Raja said.
The government should also enhance subsidies for diesel as the price per litre was ₹100. Moreover, the cost of fishnet, repairs and ice had gone up due to several factors, while export firms procured prawns for a paltry price. The fishermen too had to part with the catch immediately as they did not have storage facility, he pointed out.