As the 52-day annual trawling ban comes to an end on July 31 midnight, fishermen’s unions have called for vigil against unsustainable practices, which, they alleged, some fishing operators may resort to.
“Trawling boats and gears should be subjected to strict checks to ensure that banned fishing gears are not used,” said Antony Kurisinkal of Swathanthra Matsya Thozhilali Federation.
Fisheries unions as a whole, especially in the traditional sector, have stood firmly in the past against pair trawling or use of two boats parallelly to trawl the bottom or use of high-voltage lighting systems to draw fishes to boats.
Fishermen alleged that trawler and dredger nets were sometimes used by a few fishing boats. They said such reports had come in from places such as Kollam, Kochi, Munambam, and Beypore.
Sources in the Fisheries department said they had ground-level personnel who reported such destructive practices. As of now, no complaints have been received, but the department system would be vigilant to prevent any practices that put sustainability in danger.
The department holds regular inspections, and if any infringements are found, the boats are fined or appropriate action taken against them.
Fishermen said most boats using unsustainable methods deploy workers from other States for such activities. The department must intensify marine patrol and use the Coastal Police force to end such practices, said Raju Asrayam, a fisherman from Alappuzha district.
Fishermen said there were also instances of juvenile fishing in several areas, which should be brought under check. Union leaders said since the department had not been insisting on inspection of boats, there were cases in which more than one boat under the same registration number going out for fishing from different harbours.
Such practices were not only detrimental to the fisheries sector but also a threat to the security of the country, said Mr. Kurisinkal. To contain such practices, the fisheries authorities must conduct checks at harbours simultaneously, they added.
