KOCHI: Demanding stringent steps to stop foreign vessels from fishing illegally in India’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the Federation of Indian Fishing Industry - an umbrella body of the mechanised boat operators across the country - has decided to launch a nationwide agitation.
Federation leaders said the 10 Chinese trawlers, which sought emergency shelter at Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri coast on June 7 to escape the fury of Cyclone Vayu, were illegally fishing in Indian waters.
Around 170 representatives of the All Kerala Fishing Boat Operators Association (AKFBOA) will meet at Rama Varma Club in Kochi on Tuesday to discuss the threat posed by Chinese trawlers, which has led to the depletion of marine resources in India’s coastal sea.
“We have reports that around 200 Chinese trawlers are illegally fishing in the EEZ while the mother ship stays in the international waters. These vessels are plundering India’s marine wealth, while the fishing community in the country is struggling to survive. The scientists and the government blame global warming and El-Nino for the depletion of fish stocks.
But the actual reason is the destructive fishing practices followed by the Chinese fishing vessels,” said AKFBOA general secretary Joseph Xavier Kalappurackal. Representatives of the association from Kasaragod to Kollam will participate in the meeting which will start at 2 pm. “There are around 3,600 trawlers in Kerala and around 90 per cent of the boat owners are in debt trap due to mounting losses. The government should facilitate fishing boats to undertake deep sea fishing. The meeting will chalk out a plan for a state-wide agitation,” he said.