KOCHI: Resentment is brewing among mechanised fishing boat owners following the government’s decision to impose restrictions on the size of trawl boats and to bring a 10-fold rise in the annual licence fee.
Fishing boat owners complain the government has brought in a 10-fold increase in the annual licence fee of fishing boats, burdening the community which is already in deep trouble owing to the depleting marine resources and increasing input costs.
“The fishing industry is in deep trouble and the government policy will force the industry to migrate to other states. Last year we had paid Rs 5,250 as annual licence fee. The fine on violation of fishing norms has been increased four fold to Rs 2.5 lakh. But this year when we approached the Fisheries Department to renew the licence, we were asked to pay Rs 50,000. All other coastal states collect a licence fee of Rs 500 for boats below 15 m length and Rs 3,000 for fishing boats above 22 m length,’’ said P P Gireesh chairman of Fishing Boat Owners Coordination Committee.
“This year the catch has been extremely low and we are struggling to survive. With the Ockhi disaster, there has been a steep decline in the availability of fish,” he said.
Other states provide all facilities to fishermen, including subsidy for purchasing vessels and fuel. Gujarat provides a subsidy of Rs 14 per litre of diesel, while Karnataka gives subsidy to the tune of Rs 7 per litre. Goa provides a subsidy of Rs 90,000 for purchase of fishing vessel, said Gireesh.
A fishing boat needs around 3,000 litres of diesel to complete a seven-day expedition. The fuel cost itself comes to Rs 2.4 lakh. They also have to spend around Rs 1 lakh as wages to fishermen, food, ice and other facilities.
“The expense will come to around Rs 3.5 lakh. We have to get fish worth Rs 5 lakh to make it viable. But no fishing boat in Kochi has got such returns during the past one year. There are around 4,000 offshore and deep sea fishing vessels operating from Kerala coast. The state’s total catch stood at around 5.85 lakh tonnes, of which the contribution of the mechanised fishing boats was around 60 per cent. However, government policies have adversely affected the sector,” he said.
Fisheries Deputy Director S Mahesh said the government has imposed certain regulations under the Kerala Marine Fishing Regulation (Amendment) Act, 2017 to streamline the sector. As per the amendment, only boats with a length of 20 m and 200 HP engine will be allowed to fish in the coastal waters which extends to 12 nautical miles from the coast. These boats have to pay a deposit of `9,000 and a licence fee of Rs 4,500.
Bigger boats will have to seek special permit paying a fee of Rs 50,000. For registering new fishing boats bigger than the standard size the owner has to pay Rs 50,000 as registration fee. Under the new regulation, the boat building yards and fishing net manufacturers also have to register their firms with the Fisheries Department, he said.
“The standard size of a mechanised fishing boat is 24 m and many states give approval for boats with an engine capacity of 350 HP. The regulations brought in by the Fisheries Department will destroy the industry. Already around 1,700 boats have stopped venturing into the sea due to mounting loss. Earlier we had to pay welfare fund for nine months. But the LDF Government has increased it to 12. Other states provide diesel subsidy, but Kerala government is not bothered about our plight. The state will get an additional income of around Rs1.5 lakh per boat due to the increase in diesel cost. We are planning to submit a memorandum to the fisheries director. If our demand is not met, we will launch a strike,” said All-Kerala Fishing Boat Operators Association secretary Joseph Xavier.