Most of the approximately 3,500 trawl operators in the State have taken a stand that they be given time for a year to try out Turtle Extruder Devices in fishing nets.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting and workshop organised jointly by Marine Products Export Development Authority and the Central Institute of Fisheries Technology here on July 18, boat owners described the US ban on Indian wild-caught shrimp as serious.
One of the key issues facing the boat owners is the cost of installing TEDs. “Expenses on TEDs will add to the burden while margins have shrunk rapidly over the years,” said a boat owner on the sidelines of the meeting. Boat owners like him want the government to provide a substantial subsidy for installing the devices.
However, a section of the boat owners have sent a memorandum to the Union Minister of State for Fisheries George Kurian describing the ban as a ‘ploy’ by the Southern Shrimp Alliance. The group of trawl boat owners under the banner All Kerala Boat Operators’ Association want the Trade and Commerce and Foreign Ministry to initiate steps to convince the American counterparts that Indian fishermen do not indulge in activities that endanger marine turtles.
