TN fishing vessels scouring Kerala waters; boat owners to hold protest

KOCHI: Fishing boat owners have decided to stage protest alleging that hundreds of fibre boats from Tamil Nadu have started scouring the coastal waters after the start of the 52-day trawl ban period. The annual trawl ban is imposed to ensure no disturbance to fish species during the breeding season. However, as motorised country crafts used by traditional fishermen are allowed to continue fishing activities during the ban period, Kerala has been witnessing increased presence of Tamil Nadu fibre boats in the coastal waters, they said.

“Hundreds of fibre boats from Tamil Nadu are involved in fishing activities off the coasts of Kochi and Thrissur district. These boats fish in Kerala’s coastal waters and sell the catch to fish dealers in Kerala. They catch demersal fish species using banned nets, which leads to depletion of marine resources. The annual fishing ban has failed to serve the purpose as huge outboard engine boats operated by traditional fishermen and Tamil Nadu boats are involved in over fishing,” said All-Kerala Fishing Boat Operators Association general secretary Joseph Xavier Kalapurakal.

The traditional fishermen in Kerala are also concerned about the increasing presence of Tamil Nadu fishermen in Kerala waters. “The Tamil Nadu fishermen don’t allow us to enter the coastal waters even in emergency situations. But we are witnessing increased presence of Tamil Nadu fibre boats in our coastal waters during the trawl ban period. There should be some kind of regulation to stop overfishing,” said National Fishworkers Federation treasurer Jackson Pollayil.

The Kerala Marine Fishing Regulation (Amendment) Act was introduced in 2017 to regulate fishing activities following depletion of marine resources due to overfishing.  As per the act, the government will allow building of a new boat only to replace an existing vessel. Fishing boat owners allege that the government is violating this provision by liberally issuing licence to Tamil Nadu boats on payment of a user fee. A meeting of the fishing boat owners on June 18 will decide on launching a protest. The boat owners are also planning to approach the High Court.

“Any traditional fisherman has the right to fish in the coastal waters anywhere in India and we cannot stop it. A few Tamil Nadu fishermen are catching fish beyond the territorial waters and they sell the catch in Kerala. We are allowing them to sell the catch in Kerala on payment of user fee. The allegations regarding the presence of a large number of Tamil Nadu boats in Kerala are not true,” said fisheries deputy director (marine) M Thajudeen.

“Many Tamil Nadu longliner boats operate from Kochi as they get better price for their catch here. The trawl ban during June and July is not helping the purpose as it is not the breeding season of demersal fish which are caught by mechanised boats. The spawning season of oil sardine and mackerel is during the months of April and May,” said fisheries scientist K Sunil Mohamed.